Jack and I
by CandySlice
Summary: Rapunzel loves reading myths. She came across the Legend of Jack Frost and it made her curious, believe and meet him! Jack could transform himself to a human and got relieved of his Winter spirit duties and got to go to college with Rapunzel. Join Jack and Rapunzel's crazy college adventures about friendship and, eventually, love Jackunzel all the way. Modern setting.
1. I Started Believing

**So I recently (okay, for a while) became so addicted to Jackunzel that I made three AMV tributes to the pair in the span of 4 days. YES. I'm THAT insane. Well enjoy the story. THANK YOU FOR CLICKING ON MY STORY :'D I love you so much, whoever you are~!**

**Note: This story is set in the modern times. No Pitch here. The problem wouldn't be a legit villain in Disney or DreamWorks but something else. This is also set when Jamie can already see Jack.**

**I do NOT own Tangled and Rise of the Guardians**

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**Chapter 1: I Started Believing**

Rapunzel always loved to read about new discoveries, art, history and most especially, myths. Who wouldn't right? Especially if those myths had proof or even a tiny spec of evidence it exists. It's very intriguing. That's why Rapunzel is in the library again, searching for something new. She scanned the shelves for something new. Heck, she already read most of the books in her school library. After a few more scans, she gave up and went to the librarian.

"Miss, are there new articles this week?" She asked, her expression of pleading almost made the librarian feel sorry for her.

The librarian, Miss O, smiled at her and showed her a pile of books properly put on top of each other, "Of course, Rapunzel! It just came in." she said.

Rapunzel's scrunched up face brightened into a happy smile, "Oh, yay!"

Miss O smiled even wider, "And guess what, Rapunzel—" she grabbed a book from the pile, "—This book was just released a couple of days ago." She said as she showed Rapunzel a book with a dark green hard cover.

Rapunzel carefully grabbed the book and scanned it. It had gold etchings on it. The title was also engraved in gold. "Mythical Creatures…" she murmured to herself.

"Yes, Rapunzel!" Miss O said in excitement, "It's a book about mythical creatures and legendary spirits." She added. Rapunzel looked at her with delight. Miss O continued, "The author said that those creatures in his book might be real. There are also pictures in the book! Isn't it exciting?"

Rapunzel's smile grew even wider, "Really? I'm going to borrow this right now!" she said.

Miss O knew she would and so, she gave Rapunzel the borrow slip for her to sign. Rapunzel signed it and gave her borrower's card to her and thanked her before leaving. Rapunzel held the book firmly and carefully. She skimmed the pages. It had a lot of pictures of the creatures the author placed. She was very excited to go home and sit down on her bed and read the new book she borrowed. She lived alone and she had no one to talk to that much. Her parents were always away because of their work. They had very little time with even before. When she turned 18, they could only stay for as much as two days and no more than that because they had to go back to God-knows-where-they-work. Books kept her company. She wasn't an introvert but she always preferred the company of books in her house.

After turning another corner, she was finally home. She immediately changed her clothes and jumped in her bed with the new book she borrowed. She started to read, flipping the pages carefully, looking at the pictures with curiosity and wonder. One time, she almost choked on her saliva after finding out that the Easter Bunny wasn't really small and that it could talk—in an Australian accent too! She was so pumped up that she had this urge of wanting to research about these legends and mythical creatures. _Tomorrow, _she told herself. Then she came across an unknown legend to her. _Jack Frost._

"Jack Frost?" She mumbled to herself as she flipped the page to see a picture of him. She tilted her head a bit as she stared into the page-sized portrait of Jack Frost. He had silver-white hair and brilliant blue eyes. He wore a medieval-style cloak and pants. He didn't wear any shoes and he had a long stick that looks like a shepherd's crook. He was the spirit of winter.

This Jack Frost brought about inspiration to her. She was excited about him. She couldn't explain it but there was this _thing_ that made her want to believe he actually exists. It was like an itch that she couldn't scratch. It was annoying yet pleasing at the same time. She took a picture of the portrait and saved it as her wallpaper on her phone. She smiled at the sight of it.

_Research mode: ON_

Rapunzel wanted to research on him more than anything else in the world that time. She knew libraries wouldn't be open late that night so she tried to look for articles in the internet instead. She googled it, tried in creepypasta and searched in Yahoo Answers. It was already 3 a.m. and she still doesn't have much information about the entity. The only things she knew was that his whole name were Jackson Overland Frost, he has a sister, Emma Overland, whom he saved from cracking ice on a lake and that he died from it because he was the one who drowned, he is the spirit of winter, joy and fun—other than that, nothing more.

Rapunzel yawned and then sighed and closed her browser and turned off her laptop. She lied down on her bed. She frowned. A minute ago, she was sleepy. Now that she's lying down, she isn't. She growled inwardly and went to the window seat and stared outside. _It's going to be Christmas soon_, she thought. She hoped that her parents will be able to be with her but a part of her didn't care if they weren't. _They were always away. _With that, she hugged her knees and looked out the window and saw the moon. Her eyes widened at its magnificence.

Thinking back about Jack Frost, she wondered where he lived, how he was like, what he really looked like, how his voice sounded like, if he has friends—human or not and more questions that raced in her mind. Without noticing it, she fell asleep.

She dreamed of being with Jack Frost. He looked quite handsome and he was sitting on a tree branch and she watched him from below. He came down to her so gracefully as if the wind was slowing down his fall. Her heartbeat raced. She tried to talk to him but she couldn't open her mouth. She looked at him. His eyes were so brilliant, so blue that no adjective can give justice to its brilliance. And his _hair!_ Oh that hair of his was so silver-white that it shined under any light. And just when Jack Frost was going to talk to her, she woke up.

Rapunzel grunted. It bothered her so much that it annoyed her to her very core. She folded her lips that formed a small line. _Why did she have to wake up NOW?_ It was getting good too!

She looked outside and saw that it was already snowing. Her dream flashed in her mind. _Jack Frost._ He did _that_ while she was sleeping. She opened her window, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything weird going on. She was a bit disappointed to find no evidence of Jack Frost._ Wait._ Why was she disappointed? It's not like Jack Frost is real or something… right? He's just a myth… and yet she wanted to see him.

"Punz, you're losing it." She told herself. She got up and did her daily routine. It was a Saturday so, she could stay home and continue reading, she thought. Or maybe… she could continue researching about Jack Frost.

After eating her breakfast, she went to her room and opened her laptop and continued to search about him. After a while of hard researching, she found out that he lived in Burgess, which was half way across the country. She didn't know why but she felt happy it was just near her place, Corona. She went squealing and laughing and giggling and shaking her laptop out of joy. She opened a new tab and searched images of Jack Frost, may it be fan-made or a costume or whatever she might see nice. Hours went by and she didn't notice it was already sunset.

Rapunzel got up and got a plate of cookies and a glass of milk and placed it on the window seat to open the window and get her laptop. She hummed, getting her laptop. She was smiling and then stared at a fan-made portrait of Jack Frost. The artist claimed he has seen Jack Frost before. The artist said that Jack was on a telephone pole, looking at the moon, like in the portrait he made. It made Rapunzel halt in her tracks. _She started to believe in him now._ Her heart pumped so fast out of happiness. _At least someone believes in him too, _she thought.

She went back to the window seat and grabbed her glass of milk and drank from it and grabbed a cookie but… she was able to grab none. _What the heck? _The cookies were just there a minute ago! She searched on her bedside table, study table, bed and even went back down the kitchen to check if she left the cookies there but no. Her cookies actually vanished!

She frowned and looked down outside her window to see if her cookies had fallen. No sight of it. _Where in the world did her cookies go?_ She grunted and frowned even more and sat on her window seat and leaned back on the wall. She continued to search about Jack Frost—stories, poems, songs, and images—anything about him! She sighed, still depressed about her cookies.

"My cookies…" she pouted, "They disappeared right on time…" she added.

"_Sorry, I was hungry too. I'll make it up to you on Christmas." _ A voice from beside her said.

Rapunzel smiled and said, "You better—" but she remembered there was no one in their house but her and that she was on the second floor.

_**Wait.**_

Rapunzel turned and saw a boy with silver white hair and blue eyes looking at her laptop with a smirk. He was holding a stick that looked like a shepherd's crook and he wore a hoodie of a darker shade of blue than his eyes. _She screamed._ It startled the boy.

Rapunzel fell on the floor along with her laptop. She backed away quickly as she started throwing questions at him.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?"

The pale boy tried calming her down but it was useless. He flew into her bedroom. **Flew.**

"H-hey! Calm down, calm down!"

Rapunzel screamed louder when he came near her, "Don't come near me!" she shouted as she started throwing random things at the boy.

The pale boy did his best avoiding the things flying towards him and backed away but he was hit with a book. He fell down on the floor with the book open, lying on his head. As soon as Rapunzel saw that the boy was no longer going near her, she grabbed her sketchpad that had hard thick covers near her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The boy got the book off his head and closed it. He looked up at her standing figure. She held her sketchpad close to her in a ready-to-smash position. He stood up slowly, looking at her. She flinched a bit.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't be scared." He said, "I won't hurt you." He assured her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "Answer me!"

The boy narrowed his eyes at her, "Wait, you can see me?"

"Who else should I be seeing!?" she said loudly, almost hysterical, raising her sketchpad higher.

He backed away, "No one!" he answered.

"Now, answer me!" she yelled.

"Shouldn't you have known that by now?" he asked back.

Her guard dropped, "What?"

"I saw you last night." He smiled at her as he leaned on his stick. She looked at him in confusion, "You were looking for information about me."

Rapunzel scoffed, "_You?_ I was looking—" she scanned him from head to toe and then she realized, "—at… Jack Frost…" her voice trailed off.

He grinned knowingly, "Exactly."

**End of Chapter**

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**Okay so this isn't the best starter chapter but I did my best to grasp what I can on getting this on the path I want. I hope you enjoyed though. By the way, Jack here would be like.. more than 300 years old.. it can go as far as a millennium or more just for a REALLY small portion of the story. :D**

**Chapters might be uploaded later than expected/should be but bear with me, please?**

**Questions are welcome! **


	2. Waiting and Surprises

**Thank you for reading the last chapter! :D Here's the second one~!**

**FrozenLanterns: D'aww~ Thank you :3 Yeah, it is kind of different. There will be more :D**

**I do not own Tangled and Rise of the Guardians**

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**Chapter 2: Waiting and Surprises**

She was slowly letting her guard down but she held herself together, "If you saw me last night, like what you're sounding to me, how come I didn't see you?"

He sat on the window seat, "Because you still don't believe in me that time."

She eyed him, "Is that so?" she said, still holding her sketchpad on defense mode, "Then prove to me that you _are_ indeed Jack Frost."

Jack gave a sly smirk and tapped the floor with his staff. Slowly, the floor was getting covered with frost until the whole room was covered with it. Rapunzel was in awe. Her whole room was covered in frost! _FROST!_

She looked at him, her lips slowly curved into a smile, "Y-you're real!" she hugged him which caught him by surprise. She pulled away from him and looked at him through his eyes, "I… I knew it!"

He pulled her away a bit and walked around, scanning her room, "Of course I'm real… I've been Jack Frost for a _really_ long time."

She sat on her bed and hugged her pillow, looking at him with all the wonder in the world and a smile so beautiful, "How long?"

He stared at her for a bit and shook his head, as he laughed a bit. He paced back and forth as he held his staff on his shoulder, "Ever since the Vikings existed."

With that, Rapunzel's jaw dropped, "But I thought you were—"

"Three hundred years old? No!" He frowned, "But I would love to be younger." He laughed. "That's the English version of me." He added. She kept quiet, still in shock. He smirked and sat on her study table with his arm and leg folded around his staff, "It was passed on by the Vikings. But, they still don't see me."

Rapunzel became even more confused, "Please elaborate."

Jack laughed and shook his head and leaned on his staff, "You see, after I became an… entity, I immediately made snow around the globe. These Vikings realized it was snowing, I guess earlier than it should, then suddenly, this elder—" he stood up and stood on the study table, "—got an idea that it was one of their gods, I guess, that made the snow. They called him _Jokul Frosti_, which is Jack Frost. From then on, it spread to the world."

Rapunzel stared at him, her chin on her palm as she listened to his story. She was so happy that time and that she was interested in everything he would tell her.

He looked at her and saw that she was listening attentively. He just smiled at it and looked at the floor as he remembered his past, "Russians call me _Father Frost, _Europeans call me _Old Man Winter_, which was kinda offending." He laughed, "Some call me as I am—Jack Frost."

Rapunzel hugged her pillow. She was blushing a bit, "So, is Jackson Overland Frost your real name?" she asked.

He smiled at her so charmingly, which made her blush even more. He was truly handsome, just like the portrait she found in the internet. He sat beside her. She abruptly yet quietly held her breath. _He was so close!_

"Well…" he started, "Almost." He looked at his staff, "Jackson Overland is the real name." Then his gaze shot up to her, "Speaking of names, what's _your_ name?" he asked her.

_Oh my gosh!, _she thought. _**The**_ _Jack Frost is asking for my name!,_ she told herself. She inhaled first before answering, "I-it's Rapunzel."

Jack smiled so knowingly that it made her want to hide her face behind the pillow. His teeth were so white and the way his eyes glow when he smiles! It was just so perfect!

"Did your parents name you after a fairytale damsel?" he asked.

She only nodded, trying to hide her blushing face. Jack moved back to see her hair. It was incredibly long. He guessed that it reached her knees when she stood up. He looked at her, trying to search her face. He wondered why her face was buried in the pillow.

"You _are_ living a Rapunzel life, aren't you? Long hair you have there."

She didn't speak. Not even a little squeak was heard. He frowned a bit and floated in front of her to see what she was hiding on her face. But the more he tried to look, the more she hid her face. Her hair was already getting in the way of his view. He raised a brow, "What's wrong Goldilocks? Sleepy?"

She shook her head. He also heard a muffled "No". He was going to say something to her but he suddenly remembered that he had to spread winter wonder to the other parts of the world. He flew out of her window ever so smoothly. Rapunzel noticed this and lifted her face from the pillow and looked at him. She still had the scarlet blush.

"I'm sorry but I have to go Goldilocks." He said with a soft smile.

Rapunzel ran to the window and looked at him with sadness, "Will you come back?" she asked, hoping he would say yes.

Jack stared at her, memorizing her features. Just as when Rapunzel was losing hope, he smiled at her, "Yeah. I'll be back in a week."

For Rapunzel, it was too long a time to wait but she can't do anything about it. _Jack is a busy spirit._ She smiled, still, despite her expectations turned down, "I'll wait for you here." She said.

He waved goodbye to her and was about to fly away but then he looked at her, "Can you give me more of those cookies you had?" he asked. She blinked and laughed, "Of course, Mr. Frost!"

If anything, Jack hated to be called "Mr." He smirked, "Just call me Jack." He said. He didn't wait for her reply. He just waved goodbye at her and flew away.

Rapunzel watched him as he disappeared into the distance. She sighed dreamily and sat on her window seat with a dreamy smile, "Jack…" she sighed again.

She closed the window a bit. She left a small gap so that when Jack came back sooner than she anticipated, he could go in. She was sleepy so she went to bed. Before she was able to sleep, she stared at the window. She saw snow falling, clumping on the small edges of the frame. She smiled. She stared at the snow outside.

_Jack will be back soon,_ she thought to herself. She encouraged herself that he _will_ be. Thoughts raced in her mind about him as she closed her eyes. Was he okay? What would he be doing right now? Where would he be right now? _Will he keep his promise?_

She opened her eyes abruptly. _Will he?, _she asked herself. She closed her eyes shut. Of course he will! Why wouldn't he? He seems nice and wouldn't break a promise.

"But he didn't say it as a promise, Punz." She said to herself. She tossed herself to one side and tried to sleep it off.

The next day, Rapunzel woke up. She did her early morning routine and ate her favorite breakfast—pancakes. She changed her clothes to a baggy purple sweater and black leggings. She wore purple Uggs and a light pink sweater around her neck. She braided a small portion of her hair and grabbed her bag on the table and went out. She thought of going to the grocery store then to the mall. She wanted to buy more of those cookies Jack wanted. She wanted to shop for more sweets that Jack might like more of the sweet food for winter. She was around the cookies and sweets section and grabbed four packs of Chips Ahoy! and three sets of Oreo.

She went to the meat section and grabbed two plates of chicken and pork. She stared at the sets. She glanced at the two. _What kind of dinner would he like? _She got both anyway. As she was shopping, she always thought about him. What kind of food he likes to eat; would he prefer chicken over pork or vice versa? Questions flooded her head even when she was paying for her groceries. She decided to go to the mall to buy a new set of paints.

While in NBS, she scanned some shelves for canvases and brushes. Then she went to the paint shelves. At the sight of the color blue, she smiled. She remembered his eyes and his hoodie. He was covered in frost by his shoulders and arms. His staff was covered with frost too. She took the paints she needed and bought them.

As soon as she got back home, she started to paint on her stocked canvas. She painted beside her window. She glanced outside once in a while so she could remember how he looked like. His eyes and how it glowed despite the darkness; his hair and how it shined under any light; his skin is so flawless yet stained by the cold.

She was smiling as she made the painting of him. In her painting, he is sitting on her window seat looking at her direction. He has his staff resting on his arm and his legs wrapped around it. She carefully made the snowy background with the moon so big in the sky. It wasn't finished yet. She only placed the basic form she needed.

_What if she gave it to him as a present?_

Her eyes widened and her lips curved to a wide smile. It was a great idea!

But… _Would he like it?_

She stopped painting. She looked at it and smiled with a bit of sadness. Why wouldn't he return sooner? A week is like, forever. She wished that they could spend more time together, getting to know each other. She wanted to find out more about him and his past, his origins, where he really was born and all that. She sighed. It was already sunset so she cleaned herself up and ate dinner. Before heading to bed, she went to her window seat. She looked up at the full moon above. It was so bright, so brilliant and so magnificent. She propped her chin on her palm and sighed with a hint of longing. And, without her noticing, she fell asleep there.

The next morning, her arm felt painful from that awkward sleeping position on the window seat. She went to school an hour earlier and reviewed their previous lessons. She wasn't always studying but she was one of the excellent students in her class. Today was a bit different than the other days. She was inspired to read. She saw every nook and cranny as an interesting matter. Everything that seemed so ordinary before now seemed so new and interesting. Heck! Even details on the whiteboard seemed so interesting.

She remembered her painting of _him._ She wanted to finish it before the week ends and wanted to show it to him as soon as he arrives. She closed her notebook and got her blank, un-margined notebook instead. It was for her doodles in class since her sketchpads are bigger and heavier. She started to sketch Jack Frost, flying and gliding in the air with a wide grin plastered on his face. She wondered if he loved what he was doing and that if he was fine being immortal and all.

Rapunzel brought out her colored pencils and colored her sketch. She tried giving detail to it as much as she could. If Jack likes her painting, maybe she would give this one too. She smiled at the thought of his return. She knew she was getting… addicted to this entity but who cares? She was happy that she met this entity and that he was real. _Probably more real than half the inhabitants of the world even,_ she thought.

Days passed and it already has been a week since she first met Jack Frost. She was so excited to meet him that evening or even the whole day tomorrow. She drew him everyday in her notebook and colored it every time she had the chance. She prepared the cookies she bought on a Tupperware and a carton of milk on her bedside table. She was just finishing and adding final touches on her painting when suddenly _he_ knocked on her window. It startled her but she was excited.

Rapunzel opened the window, "Hi Jack!"

Jack took off the hood of his jacket from his head and smiled at her, "Hey Goldilocks! What are you painting?" he tried to peek at the painting she was making but Rapunzel immediately faced it away from him.

"It's… it's a surprise." She said.

His eyes widened a bit. His smile grew wider, "Can I see it now?"

She looked at her painting, "Wait for it until it gets dry." She said as she placed it at the farthest corner of her room, away from him.

His eyes raised a bit and his smile softened, "Okay, Goldilocks."

She smiled at him and grabbed the plate of cookies and extended it to him, "I got you some cookies!"

His mouth opened as his sight turned to the plate of delicious cookies, "Awesome!" he grabbed two cookies at a time and ate them one by one.

Rapunzel sat at the edge of her bed and looked up at him. The heavy feeling of waiting was gone. The sight of him made her happy. Her mind rushed some ideas of what to do that night, what to say and what to ask. She was so excited that she was confused and panicking in her brain. She blurted out a question her mind popped up.

"S-so, how was the trip around the world?" she grabbed a part of her golden locks and combed it with her fingers.

He looked at her as he munched the cookies. He swallowed it, "It was fun. I got to freeze another fish bowl and stuff." He said and munched on another cookie.

"Are you happy?"

_What a stupid question, Punz, _Rapunzel thought to herself.

He turned to her, "Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean," she cleared her throat, "Are you happy with what you're doing? Spreading winter fun and stuff?"

Jack smiled at the cookie in his hand, "Yeah," he said, "Probably because it's the only thing I do my whole 'winter spirit' life."

She stared at him, "Oh…" she said. _Don't you have anything better to say!?, _she scolded herself. She continued to mentally slap herself with self-insults but Jack spoke.

"So are you going to show me the surprise now?"

She almost jumped from her seat and grabbed the canvas. She faced it to herself first.

"I don't know if you'll like this but, early, merry Christmas, Jack." She said then gave it to him.

Jack looked at it. His eyes slowly widened; the straight line that his lips formed turned to a big smile, "You made _this_?" he asked in awe.

Rapunzel blushed and smile. She twirled her hair around her finger, "Do you… like it?"

He turned his head to her. She was shocked at his expression. His wide eyes and charming smile—it was so fascinating. Her heartbeat raised and she felt heavy yet it didn't feel painful. It felt more like a nice heavy feeling. Her cheeks felt hot and she couldn't breathe but it wasn't a problem. _What is this feeling?_

"Are you kidding? I love it!" he exclaimed. He looked back at the painting and adored how its colors were going together. She captured exactly how he looked like down to the last detail—it was remarkable!

Rapunzel's eyes glistened in joy. She grabbed her bag on the floor and rummaged for her doodle notebook. She flipped through pages and showed to him that she made more drawings of him.

"I-I thought that if you liked that painting, I should give you the drawings I made the past couple of days." She said.

Jack took the notebook and flipped the pages to see her sketches. She was truly gifted! He has seen a lot of great artist but she was a natural. Her sketches were so astounding and solid that it looked like it was printed.

"Wow, Goldilocks… You're very talented." He said and glanced up at her. She was staring at him.

_Their eyes met._

He saw that her eyes were glistening; her cheeks were the color of scarlet; her freckles ran across her nose bridge; her long flowing hair had a portion of it braided; _and her lips!_ Oh, her lips were a lighter shade of red—so glossy and so perfect!

His gaze at her softened then he gave a curt smile, "Thank you for the gifts." He said, "I would love to take them with me but—" he averted his gaze, "—I have no home to keep this."

Her expression of gentle happiness turned to confusion and a bit of shock, "What?" she with bewilderment, "You have no home?...W-why? How?"

"I live under a tree—I sleep there, eat there, rest there, hang out there." He explained.

Her chest tightened and this time, it was painful. She felt sorry for the poor spirit. He's been… "living" for a really long time but he doesn't live _in_ a house. He must feel lonely without having anyone to return to or spend his long lifetime with. _Being a creature of legend must be really hard, having no one to be with_, she thought.

"You make this your home, Jack." She said. He looked at her with a confused expression that it made her panic, "I-I mean, you can make this your _second_ home. Of course you can't make this your _first_ home because you still have your tree a-and—" she was cut off by him.

"No, no." he said, "It's fine, Goldilocks."

It kind of made her sad because a part of her knew that he wouldn't accept the offer, and that part of her ate her hope. _It's not going to happen, Punz. You're crazy, _she thought to herself. _He's not going to live here with you! That's—_

"I'll make this my _first_ home from now on." He grinned at her.

She could only stare at him in utter shock. She didn't know how to react. Would she squeal? Would she jump for joy? Would she _smile_ even?

He walked around her room, "It's pretty nice to live under a real roof in a real house. Though—" he looked outside the window, "I'm not used to sleeping on soft cushions and feathery pillows." He glanced back at her with his trademark smirk.

She gave him a bright grin; "I could get a comforter for you and a less-than-fluffy pillow to sleep on!"

He shook his head, "Nah, the carpet's fine. Just the floor is nice too."

He honestly preferred the carpet but it's not his house. And he was _kind of_ embarrassed that Rapunzel—a nice, pretty, remarkably talented and fine lady— would let him—a mischievous, unheard of and not-so-great of a spirit—stay with her. He was used to the cold anyway.

He looked at her. _She was smiling at him. _She always smiles at him. Not that he didn't want her to but, he's never met a person, better yet, a girl, who always smiled. _Oh please,_ I don't have much girl friends, he thought. He wasn't used to it… yet.

"You can sleep on the window seat if you want." She said and it made him snap back to reality. "Hey Jack…" she looked down at her hands.

He raised a brow in curiosity. _Was she blushing?_

"Can you tell me more about yourself?" she continued, still looking down at her now-fiddling hands.

He blinked and then smiled curtly at her. He sat with his feet up on her bed.

"I could also transform, you know?"

"Really? Into what?"

"A human boy."

_Gasp. He could do that?_

**End of Chapter**

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**Derp. I'm sorry I had to end it there. This chapter wasn't the most exciting but I hope you liked it. And… I hope you continue supporting this fan fic :D**

**Chapters might be uploaded later than expected/should be. Please bear with me D:**

**Questions are welcome! I will answer them every time I upload a new chapter.**


	3. Living In

**Since my laptop won't open, I had to REDO what I typed from 11 pm to 1 am. It's depressing! It was getting good too D: My mom will have to take it for repairs TOMORROW. I couldn't wait that long so I decided to do it on my grandfather's computer instead while he's taking his nap.**

**I would like to thank those people who read, reviewed and did both! :D I'm so happy to know you guys are enjoying my fan fic! This chapter is for you guys out there who continues to support this fic!**

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**Chapter 3: Living In**

Rapunzel gaped at the mystical being grinning at her knowingly. She was just _shocked_ that he could turn to a human being. She swallowed. She thought of saying something, anything, but no words came out. It wasn't because it was too much to process—she was just…shocked. She couldn't find the words to say and _he noticed that._

Jack decided to stand up, "I'll show you." He said.

She just looked at him, still in the state of shock. She stared at him. He closed his eyes and released a heavy breath that ice-cold smoke came out. It was visible to her that he was concentrating on his transformation. Not too long, his transformation was at the process. She gasped at this. It was very surprising but in a good way. His hair slowly turned brown from the tips to the roots. The frosts on his clothes and staff slowly faded and soon, his transformation was done. He opened his eyes. _It was brown!_

He had his arms up to his side as if he was showing himself to the world. "Ta-da!" he said with a wee bit tune.

Rapunzel's eyes grew wide and her gaping mouth turned into a smile. She gave him a standing ovation, "That was _so_ cool!" Those were the only things she was able to say because, honestly speaking, she couldn't find the exact words for his performance.

"Your hair… it's brown!"

"This is my _real_ hair color… And of course, eye color." He said, running his hand over his hair.

She frowned a bit, "I like it better when it's white." She said. Realizing what she said, she thought it might mean something else to him. "Not that I prefer you more as a spirit than a human. Not that I don't I just—" she said with a bit of nervousness.

He laughed, "It's fine, Goldilocks. I like it better when my hair's white too." He smirked, "It's unique and has the same color as the snow I make." He added.

Rapunzel blushed so bad that she wanted to bury her face on her pillow again but instead, she grabbed the Tupperware and went for the door. Jack was confused by her actions. _Did he say something wrong? _Maybe he shouldn't have laughed. Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have because maybe, _just maybe_, she misunderstood it. _Way to go, moron. You made your first human girl friend you've had in your whole spirit life upset, _his conscience reproached. He scratched the back of his head and went to her, "Rapunzel, I'm sorry." He apologized.

She didn't look at him. _Ouch._

"You don't have to be sorry." She said with her eyes staring at the Tupperware in her hands. It was making him feel guiltier when suddenly, she looked at him with the same bright smile she shows him, "Let's get you more cookies."

Jack's eyes sparkled as soon as his guilt subsided. He followed her to the kitchen. He saw a few paper bags from the grocery store. He realized that she went shopping for groceries for his cookies. The heavy feeling returned.

"I'm sorry for making you buy a lot of those cookies I asked." He said, still staring at the paper bags.

She turned to him with a confused look and went near him. She smiled up at him so serenely that it made him inhale abruptly but silently. "You don't have to be sorry. I bought it with my own free will. You didn't force me on it." she said. _She is so damn nice!_

He looked at her as she turned to place more cookies in the Tupperware. There was an awkward silence between them. _A very awkward silence._

Jack was arguing with his mind when suddenly, Rapunzel turned back to him. "Will you consider staying like that?" she asked.

He looked at her. _I never really thought about that, _he thought. He placed his hand in his hoodie's pocket, "Maybe, why?"

She looked away, playing with her hair, "Oh, nothing really…"

He was a quick to understand maybe why she asked such a question, "Would you want me to?" he said. Her head shot up to look at him. He held his breath, "I mean, this is _your_ house, so it's your rules."

She continued to play with her hair, "I-I don't know. What are you most comfortable as?"

"Honestly, as a spirit. But in your house, I'd make an exception."

"Really?" Rapunzel gasped followed by a smile. He nodded. She couldn't believe it but Jack Frost will be staying with her… _as a human!_

She turned to the fridge with a happy-shocked expression. She wanted to squeal that time too but obviously, she can't. He might be suspicious why. But… she became confused. Why was she happy about it? This 'fuzzy' feeling was overwhelming. It felt so heavy yet so light that it made her more confused and so absorbed in her thoughts that she couldn't hear Jack calling her.

"Earth to Goldilocks." He held her shoulder. She held her breath and turned to him. _He was so close, again!_

He was staring into her eyes. She felt her cheek go warm again, "Y-yeah?" she finally squeaked.

"Can we…" Jack trailed off. She tilted her head a bit with curiosity. "…Go see the streets tomorrow?"

He thought she was going to deny his offer but she actually like the idea. "Of course! It's been years since you've been.. alive, right?"

He laughed a bit and walked back, "Well, I transformed _once_ but it didn't go so well."

She tilted her head again, "What happened?"

Jack laughed at the thought of his memory. _God, _girls were surrounding him when he visited Wales. Maidens with a bucket or even a broom would stop by the sight of him and stare at him. _More like gawk, _he thought, laughing a bit more. "You see, Goldilocks, when I visited Wales, a lot of women actually stopped by me and talked to me. Tried, at least." He said. When she didn't speak, he continued, "It has been centuries since I last had a real conversation with a living human. It's like—" he looked at her with a grin, "—I lost my social graces."

She laughed, "I doubt that. You seem pretty fine to me."

He held his staff and held it firmly as he leaned on it, "So… will you help me if that _ever_ happens again?" he asked. _I hope it doesn't,_ he thought.

"Of course, Jack!" she chirped with enthusiasm, "Why wouldn't I?" she said and then they raced upstairs to her bedroom. Of course, Rapunzel won. She jumped on her bed and Jack helped himself on the window seat. They shared a moment of laughter until Rapunzel yawned, "I'm quite sleepy…" she said. He leaned back on the wall and looked at her, "Well, goodnight then, Goldilocks." She took a last glance at Jack and smiled at him, "Goodnight, Jack." And with that, she slowly fell into slumber.

He stared at her for a while then looked outside the window. He saw people walking on the side walk and kids playing in snow. It felt nice that people, especially kids, enjoy his creations. He wondered that if they ever think of a phenomenon or theory about what causes and makes the snow. _More like 'who causes the snow',_ he mumbled to himself. Maybe it was his punishment for being such a jerk to some people… Okay, a lot, but it was such a heavy punishment. _Not to be believed in as much as the other guardians. _It seemed pretty unfair but what could he do?

With all the thoughts, he had a minor headache. Jack sighed heavily and looked at the moon, "Thanks for allowing me to stay with her, though." He said as he looked at the bright moon floating in the winter night sky. He smiled a bit and pulled on his hood and wrapped his legs and left arm on his staff, letting it rest on his shoulder and fell asleep.

The next day when he woke up, he saw that Rapunzel's bed was empty. He grabbed his staff and went down to the kitchen and saw her cooking. The smell of her cooking was so fragrant that it made the production of his saliva rush. He swallowed when he saw it was…

"Pork Chop…" he mumbled.

Rapunzel turned to see him. She smiled and greeted him a happy, "Good morning!" She returned her attention to the sizzling Pork Chop, "Sit down, Jack." She said.

He obediently sat down but when he saw her getting the plates and eating utensils, he helped her and placed them on the table. "Let me help you." He said. Then he opened the fridge, "What should we drink?"

Without averting her gaze from what she's cooking, she asked him, "What do you want? Juice, milk or water?"

Jack scanned the fridge. He grabbed the glass pitcher full of juice, "I'm going to get the juice." He told her as he placed the pitcher in the middle of the set. Then he remembered, _glasses._ He grabbed two octagonal glasses and placed them on the table. As soon as Rapunzel finished cooking the pork chop, she placed them on a plate and grabbed it with a plate of rice on her other hand and placed them on the table. They sat down together.

"Bon Appétit!" she said and scooped herself rice and forked a pork chop.

Jack did the same and took a bite of her pork chop. His eyes glistened, "Man, this is delicious!" he said and ate faster.

She smiled at him, "I'm glad you like it!"

He looked at her, with a grin plastered on his face, "I don't mind having this as my breakfast every day." He said and looked at his food.

_Come to think of it, I've never really eaten food like this in a while, _he thought. Without him noticing it, Rapunzel already poured juice in his glass. He snapped back to reality when she placed down the pitcher.

"Eat as much as you want." She said.

He smiled at her, "Thanks but I'm fine. Your cooking's really awesome."

She blushed a bit. It was only recently that she found out that she had a habit of speaking bluntly when she was nervous. She _tried_ to stop the habit but the odds weren't on her side.

"You wanna go to the park?"

_Way to go, Punz._

Jack blinked twice, "Right now?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes to the side and bit her lower lip, "W-well, I was just asking if you would like to go to the park today and play in the snow…" her voice hushed to the end of her sentence.

"_Play in the snow?_ That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.

After breakfast, Rapunzel went up to her room to get dressed then she remembered—_Jack doesn't have shoes._ If not more, it was _freezing_ out in the streets. His pants seemed like it wouldn't do the trick either. Her girl-part aroused inside of her. _Make over time._

She pulled Jack to sit on her bed then she rushed to her parents' room to get her father's clothes and shoes. When she came back, his eyes widened. A lot of clothes, still with hangers, were on her arms and a few shoe boxes with her. How did she get them? Some were piled on top of the clothes, one was balancing on her head, two more were at her feet—she kicked them on the way to her room. It felt awkward for him when she placed the clothes on her bed and pushed him to try the clothes on.

Every time he came out of the bathroom, Rapunzel didn't like how the clothes sloppily hung down his body. An idea came to her. She got one of her dad's long sleeves. It wasn't too big but not too fit either. It was a bit baggy but he looked good in it. The long sleeved top was a few shades darker than navy that had stripes of a lighter shade than navy. _For the pants, _Rapunzel thought. She rummaged for his dad's second to the smallest jeans and gave it to him. When Jack came out of the bathroom, Rapunzel almost squealed because he looked so handsome wearing her dad's clothes. The jeans were fit and smooth from his thighs to his calves and then went all wrinkly by the ankles. _The shoes. _Rapunzel got two pairs she thought might look good with him, but it was up to Jack on what he was going to wear. She held up a pair of two-skinned Converse shoes with the color of black and blue and a pair of Vans with the color black and white laces.

"Which pair do you want to wear?" she asked.

Jack stared at the shoes. _Her dad's pretty much the 'youth' type, _he thought. He pointed at the converse. She gave it to him. He grabbed a pair of socks and wore it followed by the shoes. Rapunzel rushed herself with returning her dad's clothes and shoes. He helped her, "You should get dressed, Goldilocks." He said.

She smiled at him, "Y-yeah. My dad's clothes go in that open cabinet. His shoes go on the shelves." She said, pointing at the cabinet then at the shelves. He only nodded and carried the clothes and put them on her parents' bed. He neatly placed them in the cabinet and the shoes on the shelves. He went out and closed the door. Just as the doorknob ticked, Rapunzel's door opened. It revealed her wearing a dark lavender colored sweater, black skinnies and violet boots with fur at the top. Her hair was tied into a messy bun. By the sight of her, he gaped a bit. _She was stunning_.

Rapunzel went near him and gave him a pair of gloves (not the mitten type). She wore her gloves. He was looking at her strangely. She blinked, "We'll be picking up snow. It's going to be cold." She reminded him that he was still human.

_Right..._

They went downstairs and went for the door. Rapunzel pressed the lock behind and went out with him. She carried a really small backpack that only a wallet slash coin purse, handkerchief and small gadgets like a cellphone or MP3 could fit.

Jack looked up at the sky. It was his first time to experience his wonders as a human being. He smiled at the sight of people enjoying the snow he brought about several days ago. He thought that maybe he should go check on Russia but a part of him told him that it was his day off and that he can return tomorrow or the day after because that day was the time he should spend some time with his new believer and friend, Rapunzel. He glanced at her. She was smiling as she was looking up at the snow falling. He smiled at her.

_It was going to be a fun day._

**End of Chapter**

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**I had to end it there, I'm sorry D: I'm not on my laptop so, I have to make this one fast. (Made this in 5 hours, actually. Not so fast.) I hope you like this chapter despite that it's so boring and more.**

**Please bear with me if I don't upload soon D:**

**Feel free to review and ask or anything! :D I will always answer when I update!**


	4. Certified Problem

**Because you guys like the last chapter (and probably had a cliffhanger), I made this chapter today! :D I hope you guys like it :3**

**I do NOT own Tangled and Rise of the Guardians AND any of the mentioned brands and companies in my fic.**

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**Chapter 4: Certified Problem**

Jack and Rapunzel walked to the park. It was three to four blocks away from Rapunzel's house. It was 10 am so some people might probably be in the park already. Jack glanced from side to side. He sees the town every single day and he doesn't even blink at the sight of the store but today was different. Everything seemed so new and so interesting to him. The store wasn't anything special, just a toy store. He saw the toys displayed. There were teddy bears, dolls, trains, robots, and a few remote-controlled toys. He realized that Rapunzel was a bit far from him already so he caught up with her. He saw an ice cream parlor. He smiled at the sight of his favorite flavor—cookies and cream. They continued to walk down the sidewalk and passed by a few stores and houses. Some kids were running to the ice cream parlor they passed by. A bit more walk and they were already in the park. The pond and fountain was frozen and the whole place was just covered in a lush white blanket of snow. People were already there—Families, couples and friends.

They stopped by a nearby bench. Rapunzel was smiling at the sight of her neighbors having fun while Jack was gaping at the whole place. He always thought he did a good job about making it snow and all but he never thought that his work was just _amazing_. He was still taking his time to gape at everything when suddenly, Rapunzel threw a snow ball on his shoulder that made a few bits of snow hit his cheek. He looked at her direction.

"Got you!" she laughed at him.

His surprised expression turned into an evil smirk. He scooped a handful of snow. She saw this and her eyes widened and screamed happily as she ran away from him. _Oh, she's not going to escape this._ He ran after her and threw the snow ball, directed on her back.

Rapunzel tried to run _as fast as she could_ but all the laughing and snow slowed her down. Moments later, she was hit with snow and she fell down, face first. Her messy bun of a hair was released and it scattered in the snow like gold-colored tentacles. He laughed at her. _Revenge._

She got to her knees and removed the snow from her face. She looked at him and saw that he had another snowball in hand. _Christ. _She screamed with joy again and started to run. And as she was running, she grabbed snow from benches and the fountain she just passed by. She made it into a snowball and threw it back at him, hitting his face. Despite this, he continued to run and rubbed the snow away from his eyes. _It was so damn cold._ He threw the snowball at her and hit her head. Rapunzel screamed on impact and laughed more.

Jack stopped running and went around the fountain. Rapunzel felt that there was no one following her so she stopped. Jack was nowhere in sight. "Jack?" she called. She turned around.

"_Think fast!"_

And then splat! Jack threw a snowball on her face. He saw that her eyes were closed shut and her lips were shut tight together when the snow fell from her face. He _laughed._ He laughed so hard that his stomach hurt and that he almost fell back on the snow.

_Splat!_

Jack fell down with snow on his face. This time, Rapunzel laughed. He sat up and removed the snow from his face. He looked up at her. She was holding her stomach and her face was red while she laughed. He stood up and dusted away the snow from his clothes and placed his thumb, instead of his whole hand, inside his pocket and rubbed the back of his head. He had his trademark smirk as he looked, with his bowed down, at her with his eyes.

"Alright, you got me." He said in defeat.

Rapunzel smiled at him. She grabbed his hand, "Come on!" she said and pulled him to an empty spot. They lied down on a pile of snow and made snow angels. After that, they made snow men. Jack's snow man looked like the usual snow man. He was happy with his work. The face was almost exactly like what he saw in story books and paintings. He smiled and glanced at Rapunzel. His eyes widened. _She just made a snow sculpture of Santa._ He looked back at his snow man. _Man, _he was really embarrassed but he didn't take it against her. She was _so damn_ talented. He just smiled at her work. She was working on Santa's beard, trying to etch in details of how his beard waved and straightened.

She noticed that he was staring at her so she smiled at him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her, "You can help me with the beard." He blinked then nodded. Since he visits North a couple of times for some stuff, he kind of memorized his features. He remembered that North's beard had grey strands still. He smiled. He was going to visit the whole world soon. Maybe he'd try surprising him.

Rapunzel dusted off the snow from her gloves, "There!"

They looked up at the sculpture. _It was glorious!_

Jack looked at her. She was smiling up at her work of art. He could see that she was happy with what she does. He looked around them. People were enjoying the snow. He smiled at himself. He didn't enjoy his work as much as he does that time. He knew he has fun with his job but he never really thought that people were having fun with it too, despite that he ruins some of the folks' things with his job. A snow suddenly hit the side of his head. He turned his glance to the side and saw a few kids staring at him, looking apologetic and scared at the same time. He realized he was frowning as he rubbed the side of his head so he just smiled it off.

"Who threw that?" he asked, sounding a bit terrifying.

All the kids pointed at one little boy with dark brown hair who was quivering with fear. Jack looked at the kid. The little boy's blue eyes were almost teary when he went near him. Jack squatted and placed his hand on his head. He was grinning at the boy, "You got a good aim, kid." He said and gave him a snowball he scooped with his other hand. The little boy's eyes widened with excitement and smiled.

Jack stood up. The little boy gave him a grin and ran off with his friends. Rapunzel went to him.

"I thought you were going to rage back there." She said.

He shook his head, "Nah."

They walked to a nearby bench and sat. Jack rested his back on the back rest and placed his right ankle on his left knee and crossed his arms. Rapunzel also leaned back and placed her hands on her lap. They watched the kids play in the snow. There was silence between them.

"Jack," Rapunzel called. He didn't glance at her, "Hm?"

"What's it like being a winter spirit?" she asked.

He shifted his position to leaning on his thighs with his lower arm, "Fun. But for me, it's sometimes…" he trailed off. _Lonely,_ he thought. She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "…It's sometimes, I don't know, tiring?" he looked down at the snow. When she didn't talk, he continued, "Not like the other guardians, y'know?"

"Guardians?" She was confused. What _are_ guardians?

"I forgot, I haven't _told_ you yet." He gave himself a small slap on the forehead. "You see, Goldilocks, we call ourselves _Guardians._"

"_Ourselves?_" Rapunzel repeated.

"Me; North or Santa as you know it; Tooth or, for you, Tooth Fairy; E. Aster Bunnymund a.k.a Easter Bunny; and Sandy or, for longer terms, Sandman." He said.

All the while Jack was explaining, Rapunzel was in shock and awe. Her mouth was open a little and her eyes were a wee bit big and round. _They knew each other!?_, she thought.

"Jack… you mean to tell me that… you guys, the mythical legends, know each other!?"

He nodded with a smirk on his face. Rapunzel bolted herself to face him, "What were they like?" she asked, her eyes glistening and her cheeks turning pink.

He leaned away from her a bit. _Their faces were so close._

"Well, North has a thick Russian accent." He smirked again, "He also has tattoos on his arms with the words _Naughty_ and _Nice_." Rapunzel placed her chin on her palm and looked at him with eyes sparkling. She was eager to know what the others were like. "Tooth's _kinda_ quirky. She has this addiction to teeth. She also has little humming-bird-look-alikes that collect the teeth for her." He said, averting his gaze from her. It felt awkward to him. She was just _so_ excited.

"Did you know that she doesn't _only_ have those hummingbirds with her, which are called baby tooth, by the way, but she also has other small animals that help her get teeth from all parts of the world? The animals differ by continent too!" he smiled at her then averted his gaze again.

_Aster, _he thought. "Bunnymund has an Australian accent. He has boomerangs with him and egg bombs, too. We're not always in the good terms, but, meh…" he shrugged his shoulders. "He hates me a lot for creating a blizzard on Easter Day, year 1968." Jack laughed heartily. "And then, there's Sandy. He's really quiet. _Really, really _quiet. He uses pictures that appear above his head to communicate with us. And you know what?" He glanced at her. She still has that same look—eagerness. "He's, like, made of golden sand. And he also kicks ass!" he said with right fist clenched. He remembered the time when they fought Pitch. He didn't know if whether he should tell her about him or no. He decided not to.

"That is so cool!" Rapunzel exclaimed. She looked up at the winter sky. "I want to meet them, too!" she added.

Jack shook his head as he chuckled, "Ah, you _might_ be able to meet North this Christmas."

This made Rapunzel even more excited than she is already. "Oh my gosh! _Really?_" she squealed, "That's like, a week from now!" she jumped happily and did a happy dance and chanted, "I'm gonna meet Santa Claus!" The sight of her doing that made Jack laugh a bit. Then she turned to him. He was still laughing. "Will you help me meet him, Jack?" she stared at him with big, round eyes, "_Will you?_"

He stared into her green orbs. _Her eyes were beautiful,_ so full of life and warmth—opposite his'. He shrugged, "Alright, alright. But we have to stay up _really_ late for us to see him."

"Yes, yes! I promise I'll stay up late!" She squealed again and grabbed his hands, "Let's go to the mall!"

In the mall were many people. Some were buying gifts, some were eating out, and some were hanging out— all those stuff Jack didn't really experience almost never. They walked around, looking for a nice restaurant to eat in. The fastfood chains were already full so they chose to eat in a not-so-fast-food restaurant. Jack felt awkward. One, he wasn't used to getting inside huge buildings like malls; two, girls were staring at him; three, there were people _bumping_ in to him.

They chose Shakey's. They sat near the wall-sized window so they could see outside the restaurant. Jack didn't like it as much as Rapunzel did. She was enjoying the view because she saw people taking pictures and things while he saw a group of girls whispering to each other while looking at his direction. He hoped it was just someone behind him but deep inside he knew they were talking about him. He saw the girls nod in unison. They looked like they planned something.

"Hey Jack," Rapunzel called. He glanced up at her. "I'll just go to the restroom okay?" she said and walked to the far side of the restaurant where the restroom was.

He glanced back outside the window. _The girls are gone._ Jack sighed in relief and leaned back on the soft back rest. He looked at his almost transparent reflection on the window. He looked so different. His skin wasn't pale and there are no frosts on his clothes. He was also feeling really cold when he touched the snow, which he usually doesn't feel. His hair was brown and his eyes were too. He wasn't used to seeing himself with brown hair and eyes. He felt awkward but there was something more awkward. _It felt like someone was watching him_. He faced in front and saw the group of girls earlier.

_Oh, man…_

If he was alone and if it wasn't Rapunzel he was with, he'd already be _gone_ by the sight of them. He just ignored them and glanced outside, trying to occupy himself, trying to hide that he was disturbed. The group walked towards him and sat on the vacant seats opposite theirs. He looked at them with his eyes. _Snap, they're looking at me, _he panicked in his mind. _What's taking Rapunzel so long?, _he worried for his dear self. He hoped that it wouldn't be like back in 1554 at Wales. He hoped that girls changed throughout the course of time. He frowned and placed his chin on his palm and looked outside. Transforming into a human was a _bad idea._

"I'm back!" Rapunzel's voice rang inside his ears. He turned to see her. She sat in front of him. She gave him a menu. "What would you like to have?" she asked him.

He flipped the pages of the menu. He wasn't sure what to get. All of it looked scrumptious. "I'll try the Carbonara." He said and closed the menu book.

"No desserts?" she asked. _Desserts?_

"Desserts? But it's already freezing!" he said, looking horrified that she still wanted to eat something cold.

Rapunzel laughed, "Okay, okay. No desserts." She looked at him and called a waiter, "Sir!" she called loudly. A waiter came to their side, prepared with pen and paper. Rapunzel ordered themselves Carbonara, fried chicken, Hawaiian pizza.

"What drinks would you like, Miss? Sir?" the waiter glanced at them.

"I'd like to have red tea." Rapunzel smiled at the waiter then at Jack, "What about you?"

Jack held his breath and looked at the waiter. He was looking back at him. "Uh… red tea."

The waiter wrote on his paper and repeated their order. When it was confirmed, he took the menu books and went away. Rapunzel looked at him. He was looking outside as if he was trying to avoid looking at someone.

"Anything wrong, Jack?"

He shook his head, not bothering to look at him, "No."

"Are you sure? You seem kinda shake-y" she said.

Jack smirked, "Probably because we're in Shakey's" he said. It was his first intended pun and he thought it was lame but Rapunzel was laughing her heart out.

"That's a good one!" she said, stopping her laughter. "But seriously, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to look outside…"

Rapunzel looked down at her hands then glanced to the opposite side of them. Her eyes brightened up, "Hey guys!" she greeted. Jack glanced to where she looked and saw the girls.

_She's friends with __**them**__?_

"'Sup, Punz!" a girl with brown hair with red tips greeted her back. She had slightly wavy hair.

"Hey, Rapunzel!" A sassy blond hair with pink highlights waved at her. Her hair was curly at the end.

"What'cha doin'?" A pure black haired girl asked. Her hair was straight.

Rapunzel smiled, "Oh, uh, just eating out with my friend, Jack." She said. She honestly didn't know what to say if they asked her about him. She carefully looked at Jack, "Um, Jack, these are my friends—" she said, pointing at them one by one, she introduced the girls."—The brown haired girl over there is Antoinette—"

"Call me Toni." The girl grinned at him.

Rapunzel pointed at the blond, "—The blond one is Duchess—"

The blond haired girl winked at him. He shivered.

Rapunzel pointed at the black hair girl, "—And she's Moira."

The gothic Lolita girl waved at him, "Nice to meet you!"

The Rapunzel introduced him, "Girls, this is Jack."

Jack forced himself to smile but _thank heavens_, it wasn't obvious it was forced, "Hello."

_At least they're Rapunzel's friends…_

"So, Punz…" Toni smiled slyly at Rapunzel, "Are you two dating?"

Before Rapunzel could even react, Duchess squealed, "I wouldn't blame you if you two are dating, Punz!" she said then moved close to her, "He's _really _hot!" her voice was loud enough for all of them to hear.

"I'm _what_?" Jack blinked a few times with a slight frown as if he heard wrong.

Moira poked his arm, "She thinks you're very handsome."

He didn't know how to react. Not much people really told him that. Sure, Tooth tells him he is but he doesn't really believe he is.

"S-she does?" his eyes wide.

Moira was going to say 'yes' but Duchess neared her faced to his so quickly that he leaned back a bit from surprise. She was grinning at him, "I do! Look at you! Your awesome brown hair and your oh-so mesmerizing eyes are just perfect! Punz!" she looked at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel leaned back a bit from surprise also. Sometimes Duchess shocks her.

"Y-yeah?"

"Where does he go to?" the quirky Duchess asked excitedly.

Rapunzel glanced at Jack, "I…I-I… I… uhh.. He… err…"

Jack stared at her. Both of them were rummaging in the brains on what to tell Duchess. _Idea!_

"I'll be transferring to the school… umm... down the block." He said.

"Corona University!?" Duchess said loudly. It sounded almost like a shout.

He looked at Rapunzel. She had a _really_ horrified expression. _Why? _He looked back at Duchess and forced another smile, "Yeah…"

"That's wonderful!" Moira clapped. _What?_

"That's the school where we go to! Right, Punz?" Toni looked at Rapunzel who was gaping at Jack.

_Oh, so that's why, _he thought. _You're in a lot of crap now, Jack, _his mind told him.

"This is going to be _really_ messy." He mumbled to himself.

**End of Chapter**

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**Okay I'm stopping here. D'aww I'm sorry. I'll try updating soon but I can't promise, 'kay? Finals start today and I have a load of work to do. I just made this today and fast so you'll be able to enjoy something today :D**

**Questions, reviews or anything are welcome!**


	5. Girl Problems

**Okay, continuation! :D Because I'm so pumped for a new chapter and excited on what's going to happen myself, I am going to continue xD**

**I do NOT own Tangled, Rise of the Guardians and ANY of the brands/companies I placed in this fic. **

**Chapter 5: Girl Problems**

Jack wanted to do a face-palm. _Why did he say that? _Right, because Rapunzel needed help and he had to say something. His small frown turned into a stoic expression. What was he going to do? He still has to check on places around the globe!

"Ahh.. Yeah…" Rapunzel looked at Jack with a sorry expression.

He shook his head and smirked, meaning it was nothing to him. _Almost, at least._

"When will you be going to our school, Jack?" Moira asked him. He looked at her, "After Christmas vacation."

"So what's your relationship with Rapunzel?" Toni asked him.

The three girls asked him questions all at once that he didn't know what to say. It was like being bombarded by grenades as fast as a machine gun could fire. He glanced at the three when they asked him. He didn't know who to answer first. It was insane! Rapunzel felt sorry for Jack. She tried to think of something to help him.

_Eureka!_

"Guys, calm down. You're scaring him." She told them.

Moira pouted, "Aww, I'm sorry Jack."

Toni rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, we just got excited."

However, Duchess wasn't almost sorry. She looked at him with a high magnitude of intensity, "So? Answer us!"

Jack looked at Rapunzel then at Duchess then back at Rapunzel. He looked away, straightened himself up and looked at Duchess. "I'm Rapunzel's dad's friend's son." He said, trying to sound as confident as he could. Rapunzel stared at him. She couldn't believe he just _said that!_ Jack continued, "I'm…18 years old. I live in Burgess but I'm staying here in Corona so it wouldn't be hard for me to…commute."

"Where in Corona?" the trio asked in unison.

_Crap!_

"Uh… I…" he stammered. _Shit! What am I going to say!?, _he panicked in his mind.

"He's staying with me." Rapunzel said. They all looked at her. She was looking at him. It was a look of sureness. He lightly nodded, understanding her. The three girls squealed so loudly that it caught most of the people's attention, "Oh my _god!_" they exclaimed. Toni neared her face to Rapunzel's, staring into her eyes, "You guys are _living in_!?" she asked her as if it was the most insane thing in the world.

Rapunzel held her hands together, "Not in _that_ sense, Toni…" she said, looking away from her.

_What sense?_, Jack asked in his mind.

"But it's still the same, Punz!" Toni said then she backed a bit, sitting on their place, "Oh my god…"

"I knew it!" Duchess blurted out, "You two like each other!" she pointed accusingly at both of them. Rapunzel blushed madly and shook her hands in front of her and denied the accusation while Jack arched a brow in confusion and soon, he frowned a bit. _This girl's pretty annoying, _he thought while Rapunzel still denied Duchess' hunch. "No, no, no! Duchess, we _don't_!" she said loudly. It seemed like the raging blond wouldn't accept her answer and was going to argue with her but thankfully, the waiter came back and placed down their order on the table, confirmed if there was anything else they ordered and left after saying there was none.

_Ah, thank GOD!, _Rapunzel thought as she grabbed her fork and twisted some Carbonara pasta with it and ate.

The three girls just sat down and cooled themselves off. She saw this and looked at Jack who was helping himself with the Carbonara he ordered. She thought for a while and decided that she'll get her piece of the pizza and give Jack's piece to him and give the rest to the girls.

Jack was eating his Carbonara when suddenly Rapunzel placed a slice of the pizza on his plate. He looked at her. She smiled at him and took the whole plate of pizza and placed it on her friends' table and said, "You can have it." she smiled. They looked at her with a confused expression but they took it anyway. He looked at them then at Rapunzel. She's so patient with them! If he was her, he probably would've unleashed hell on earth. He continued to eat and when he finished, he looked outside. There were many things he wanted to do, so many experiences to have. Rapunzel called him, "Jack," she said. He looked at her. She was done eating. "Can we go shopping? I need clothes for our Christmas party." she said.

_Clothes? Why? Doesn't she have enough?, _he asked himself, wondering why the need to shop. "That's an expensive Christmas party, Goldilocks."

"I'll just buy a few yards of cloth. I'm going to make my own costume."

_She could sew too!?_

He stared at her. She was really full of surprises. _Not to mention, a lot of skills,_ his mind mumbled to him. He nodded, "Alright."

She smiled and rummaged for her wallet in her really tiny bag and paid for their meal. They said their goodbye to Toni, Duchess and Moira and headed to a store. Jack doesn't exactly know what it's called but the store had huge rolls of cloth and a few designing tidbits like plastic diamonds and pearls. Rapunzel smiled at the sight and bought herself a rather slightly thick roll of cloth. Jack carried it for her. She glanced up at him, blushing madly, "I can carry that, Jack! Really!"

"Y'know," he smirked, "A thank you would be nice." he looked at her, still having that smirk.

She shrieked a bit and frowned at herself. _Yeah, you should have said 'thank you' instead, Punz, _her conscience told her. She argued with herself, "Thank you, Jack," she said, sounding grateful but at the same time, at war with herself. She was still scolding herself and she was quiet, staring either blankly or through the crowd in front of them and Jack noticed this. She was awfully quiet, which he thought wasn't normal. She was quiet..._too quiet._ He tilted his head to the side and frowned at himself as well. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, he thought. _It was kinda rude too,_ his conscience scolded him. He frowned more. He was already irritated at himself and then his conscience adds fuel to the flame. _Better cheer her up, man, _his conscience said. Jack growled at himself and swallowed. He looked at Rapunzel. She was still staring aimlessly at the crowd.

He inhaled, "Hey, Goldilocks," he called, "What do you want to do next?" he asked. It wasn't _exactly_ 'cheering up' but it might divert her attention for a while.

Rapunzel straightened up and avoided looking at him but she was still blushing, "Uh..." her eyes moved, looking for places to go. Then she had this reminder from her conscience about what she wanted to do before eating.

He looked worried at her because she went silent again. He was going to growl at himself again when suddenly her head shot up at him with big eyes and smile, "Let's go to the clothing section!" she said enthusiastically.

He sighed in relief and smiled gently at her, relieved she wasn't anymore down, "Alright! Let's go, but..." he looked at the thick roll of cloth in his arms, "Where am I going to put this? I can't carry this around all the time, right?"

She chuckled, "Oh, we'll go to the baggage counter for that." she held his hand, "Let's go!" she said happily. They headed to the baggage counter and left the huge roll of cloth there. They went to the clothing section. Jack placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants and glanced around. They were in the men's section. _Why are we here? Is she going to gift someone clothes or something?, _he asked himself. He was so curious, he just _have _to ask.

"So, what are you going to buy and who are you going to give it to, Goldilocks?" he asked her, looking at the set of clothes they were passing by.

She didn't look at him because she was too busy glancing at shirts, "I'm looking for a nice top..."

He smirked, "For your _boyfriend?" _ he asked.

She looked at him. She was frowning, "What? I don't have a boyfriend."

He arched his brows, teasing her, "Sure..."

She scoffed, "If any guy is close to being my boyfriend, it would be..." then she remembered, she doesn't have close guy friends-just _him_.

He poked her cheek, "Who? Who is it?" he asked, continuing to tease her.

"No one!" she puffed her cheeks and turned to the Jag Thug jeans that were clipped on hangers. She swore she saw something good there. She shuffled through the pants. Jack went beside her, "Then what are we doing here? Is it for your dad?"

She stopped and almost laughed, "My _dad_? He has mom to buy his clothes!"

He shrugged and looked at the clothes hanging on the opposite side and then looked at her, "Who is it for then? Me?" he laughed.

He swore he saw her smile, "Yeah." she said, comparing two pants together. He was going to speak when she turned to her and asked him a question.

"So, what do you like? This one-" she held up a brown colored pants, "-or this one?" she held up a black colored pants with stars over the pockets at the front.

It took him a while but he chose the one with the stars. She gave it to him and pushed him to the fitting room, "Go on! Try it!"

He frowned. He wasn't used to it. He didn't really need the pants. "Goldilocks, are you sure you're going to buy this? Because I'm really fine with the tattered capris I have back at...home."

She laughed, "Don't be silly! Go on, try it!"

"But I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Rapunzel already closed the door of the fitting room and waited outside. He sighed and just did what she told him to. Meanwhile, Rapunzel continued to scan for pants, in case she saw something better that Jack would like too. She was saving money in her bank account but she wasn't sure what to use it on. Maybe it was for _this, _she thought. She secretly planned to buy him a whole set as an additional gift to the works of art she gave him. _The paintings aren't really useful to him so I'll give him clothes instead, _she thought. She also smiled at the thought because it was a good idea. Since Jack was going to stay with her, he needed clothes. Her dad's clothes were too big for him._  
_

She was going to grab a pair of pants when Jack suddenly called her, "Goldilocks."

She turned to him. She squealed a bit, "It looks great on you!"

He rolled his eyes, "I honestly don't get the difference of one pair of pants from another. They all look the same to me when they are worn."

She hit him on his arms lightly, "Don't be a kill joy. Don't you like it? I do!" she said, looking up and down his legs. Then she looked up at him, "It's not tight is it? Or is it too big?"

He looked down at himself, "It's perfectly fine, Goldilocks."

She smiled at him. He held his breath.

_Why do I suddenly hold my breath when she smiles at me!?_

"Alright. Go back and change. I'll just go to the counter and pay for it." she said.

He went back in the fitting room and changed his pants. He gave the pants over to her by throwing it in the gap above the door. She caught it and went to the cashier and paid for it. Jack was straightening his clothes as he came out. He placed his hands in his pockets again and went to her. He nudged her, "You're really serious about this." he said. She eyed him, "Of course I am!" she said then she received her change and smile at the cashier, "Thank you!" she said and walked away. He followed her. They passed by the women's section. His nervousness grew when he saw more women. He walked faster so he would be walking beside Rapunzel. He felt so tensed that he almost trembled. He knew some girls looked at him when he passed by them. Rapunzel didn't notice because she was too busy looking at a denim skirt not far from them. He also saw the denim skirt. _I hope she won't go there,_ he gulped. Unfortunately for him, she did and she dragged him along with her.

Since he had no choice, he just stood there near her. Whenever she walked or paced back and forth on whether she should buy it or not, he stared at her so he wouldn't lose sight of the girl. He saw that she almost tore her hair apart when she couldn't decide.

"Why won't you just buy it?" he asked her.

Rapunzel bit her lip. _She was troubled, alright._

"I can't yet. I'm still thinking if I have a top for it or, or shoes for it!" She said, technically panicking.

"Just leave it in your wishlist then buy it when you have everything you need."

"No! A lot of girls would like to buy this!" she said, holding the skirt up at him.

He looked at the skirt. _There's nothing special about it,_ he thought. When he didn't speak, Rapunzel began to panic more.

"Oh man... I don't know. Should I leave it?" she said as she was going to put the skirt back but then she didn't, "No. I wanna have this." she talked to herself, "But I don't have anything that goes with this precious thing!" she cried.

Jack could only sigh. _Girls, _he thought again. _You never can understand them._

He held his hand up to her and placed it on her shoulder, "Calm down, Goldilocks. You're like a damsel-in-distress."

She faced him, "But I _am_ a damsel-in-distress!" she gave him a pout, "Oh, Jack... I don't know what to do..."

He almost laughed at her. That expression on her face was just too adorable.

"You know what? Just leave it there. You're going to find a better-looking skirt than that." He said and took the skirt from her and hanged it back on some random clothing rail. She still continued to pout at him and sighed when she gave up. She held his wrist, "Okay..." she said gloomily and walked away, still holding his wrist.

_Poor girl, _he thought. Just then, the tension came back to him. _Girls almost drooled by the sight of him. _

He moved his hand so he could hold hers. If he learned anything from books and televisions, it would be holding a girl friend's hand to stop other girls from staring at him. It _always_ happens. When a handsome guy needed help from stopping his fan girls from stalking him, he would hold his girl friend's hand or even place his arm over her shoulder. Not that he was implying that he was _handsome_ or that they were _his fan girls_ but it was worth the shot right?

When he held hers, he immediately pulled her to him, which he didn't know why he did but he just did it. He hoped she wouldn't react or do anything too obvious or say anything loud against his actions. She didn't. She even held his hand back. He felt uncomfortable but at the same time, confident.

_It was awkward but it felt nice_.

**End of Chapter**

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**So, I'm going to end this here. I was going for a longer chapter but my aunt needed the pc (I still don't have my laptop, sadly). I hope you like this chapter, despite that it's.. I think, OC for the two of them.**

**Love you guys!**

**Questions, reviews, comments and the like are welcome!**


	6. College?

**Here's the next chapter for you guys! I'm so happy you appreciated the last chapter!**

**FrozenLanterns: XD Yes! They are annoying. But they're Punzie's friends so, I guess it works out too.**

**I do NOT own Tangles, Rise of the Guardians or any brand/company I place in this fic.**

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**Chapter 6: College?**

Jack kept her close to him. He tried not to make eye contact with any girl at the mall but _they_ still stared at him. A group of teenage girls whispered to each other when he and Rapunzel passed by. He didn't want to hear _anything _from them about him but his ears just have a mind of its own that he heard _every word_ they said. The group of girls agreed that he was drop dead gorgeous and that they wondered what his name was and what school he goes to. He suddenly remembered the scenario earlier at Shakey's. It wasn't the best time of his life. He sighed at the thought of being surrounded by a group of crazy women asking for his name, number or whatever they wanted to ask him. _Am I really what they say I am? Handsome?_, he asked himself. It can't be true, can it? He always knew he had a bad boy look that Tooth claimed to be what girls find _awesome_ in a guy, but he never really thought that he was good looking.

Sure, he'd joke around, saying he's cute or something but he never really meant it. He just said those to tease people. He always thought he was weird-looking—especially his hair. His _hair! _It spiked in a way that it looked like he used wax or gel for it to stay like the way it is. He rake his hair back with his fingers and sighed heavily. Rapunzel noticed this and looked at him. She panicked that he might be bored or mad or something.

"Are you okay? Jack?" she asked.

He looked at her with a grin, "Of course I am! What made you ask?"

Her lips tightened as her gaze wandered around the tiled floor, "I was thinking you might be bored because of your sigh."

They stopped walking. He frowned a bit, "I'm not!" his frown turned into a smile, "I'm actually having a good time, Goldilocks, so thank you for bringing me here." He said, his smile so genuine that Rapunzel stared at his lips then his eyes. _He looks really charming, _she thought. No matter what smile or smirk he does, he always looked handsome. His thick, now brown, hair and also now brown eyes added to the charm. He looked like one of those guys who could be in a drama series or a rock star on stage. She stared at his eyes and almost saw her reflection on it.

Unknown to Rapunzel, he was also staring at her eyes. He thought that she was really pretty, like, _really._ When he first saw her, he thought she was 'alright' with freakishly long hair but staring at her made him see a little bit more. He noticed that her eyelashes were abundant, trailing thicker and longer as it went to the end of her eyes. She had freckles so light that it almost wasn't noticeable. Her eyes were so green that he thought he saw grasslands reflected on them. And then, there were her lips. It was small and it was almost scarlet in color. He never stared at a girl for that long like he did to her. Whenever she smiled, she looked prettier than she was.

He tugged on her hand, "Let's go." He made a curt smile.

Rapunzel nodded and smiled, her cheeks tinting a bit red and nodded. They decided to go home so they got the roll of cloth from the baggage counter and left. She didn't want him to carry it while walking so they took a cab. Although, Jack insisted he could walk all the way back but Rapunzel insisted. He didn't want her pout again at him, even if it was so adorable, so he gave in. The two of them sat at the back of the cab with the roll of cloth in-between Jack's knees. They were both looking outside the windows, looking away from each other. The entire ride was silent. When they got down, Rapunzel paid for the fee and Jack carried all the luggage. The cab left and Rapunzel got her keys and unlocked the door, opened it and they both went inside.

Jack headed upstairs and placed the cloth standing against the wall near her cabinet. He was going for the door when it flung open to reveal Rapunzel taking off her bag. She threw it on her bed.

"I'm gonna start sowing." She said.

He could only nod and when he got his staff, he faced her, "Goldilocks, I'll be leaving for a bit." He said.

She looked at him with slight sadness, "Where are you going?"

He went near her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled, "To Santa's workshop. I'll be back by dinner time, okay? I'll just have to get some things fixed."

She smiled gently, trying not to show her sadness, "Alright. What would you like to have for dinner?"

He turned around and headed for the window but stopped. She stared at him. Jack twisted his body to look at her and smiled, "Surprise me." He said and changed back into his winter spirit self and stepped on the window sill and bent forward and then straightened himself, holding on to the beams, inclined sideward and called the wind.

"Wind, take me to North's workshop!" he said and then the wind took him and sent him flying away up to the North Pole. It took him a while before he could go to the place but when he got there, he was greeted by yetis. He set foot on the wooden floor and went inside and saw the four other guardians talking. He wondered why they were together. He also wondered if Pitch was the reason for their assembly. But if that was the case, why didn't they call him?

North saw him walk towards them, "Ah, Jack! I didn't see you there."

The three others turned to look at him. Bunnymund frowned slightly, Tooth gasped excitedly and Sandman waved at him. Tooth was the first to go to Jack. She hovered in front of him and held her hands together with her face near his, "Welcome back, Jack! I see you changed your outfit." She grinned.

Jack frowned at himself, "Damn! I forgot to change!" he mumbled to himself but Tooth still heard him.

Bunnymund walked towards them, "Where'd ya get the clothes, mate?"

Jack looked at him then back at Tooth then at North and Sandy. They all anticipated for his answer.

"I…" he trailed off and walked towards the huge globe with twinkling lights on it, "…I got it from someone." He said as he slowly turned to them.

The four guardians looked at each other then back at him. North smirked at him a bit, "Who is it from, Jack?" he asked, tracing his beard with his fingers.

Jack honestly wanted to smile so widely but he held it back a bit to hide his happiness at the moment, "From a believer, who else?" he said, throwing back his staff over his shoulder.

"I doubt a kid that big will believe in ye." Bunnymund raised a brow as he smirk at Jack too.

Jack returned the smirk, "I never said it was a kid."

"Well," Tooth started, "Whoever he is, he's really nice to lend you his clothes." She said. Sandy nodded in agreement.

North laughed, "A teenager believes in you, Jack!"

Bunnymund looked at North then at Jack, "A teenager can believe in beings like _us?_"

It was Jack who laughed this time, "First of all, it's not a _he_ who gave me this and second, this—" he said, tugging on his shirt and pants, "—is her dad's."

The four's eyes widened. _They didn't see that one coming._

"It's a _girl_!?" Tooth exclaimed happily. She fluttered around Jack and asked him a lot of questions, "What's her name? Is she pretty? How old is she? What does she look like? Where does she live? How did she believe in you? Did she tell you?" she asked him so fast that he almost didn't understand her.

Jack smiled and leaned on his staff. He looked at Tooth, "Well, I don't really know about her belief in me. I saw her one night researching about me and then the next morning when I came back, and I ate her cookies, she could see me." He explained, "I was also surprised—" he looked up at the huge globe beside him, "—that a teenager could believe… in someone like me."

"She's probably childish to believe in ye." Bunnymund said.

Jack was insulted. He felt his chest tightened, his mind rambled through words and his hands clenched into a fist, "Don't talk about her like that!" he glared at the over-sized Pooka, "She's _not_ childish!" he said loudly that it was almost a shout.

Everyone was startled. They never really saw him get worked up like that because of a girl. Hell, they never heard him defend a girl, even. Bunnymund smirked, "Oh, I'm sorry, mate, I didn't notice she was your girlfriend."

Jack slammed his staff on the wooden floor and made laces of frost crawl on it, "She is _not_ my girlfriend!"

The two of them argued. Bunnymund just kept attacking and Jack kept defending Rapunzel and himself. The other three guardians watched them throw insults at each other until Tooth settled them down and hovered over them. North chuckled at the familiar scene and went over to Jack. "So, Jack, this girl—" he looked at Jack's eyes seriously, "—who is she?"

Jack inhaled, "Rapunzel. She's Rapunzel."

Tooth looked confused and looked at Sandy then at North and Jack, "The fairytale princess?"

Jack shook his head, "No. Her parents named her after the princess." Then he smirked at the memory of her, "She had freakishly long hair that went down to her knees." He said then he went to the bookshelf nearby and saw fairytale books, "Her hair was near the color of gold and her eyes were as green as a pasture during spring time." He said. _Her lips were scarlet,_ he thought. When none of the four spoke, he continued as he went to the huge globe again, "She went to show me around their neighborhood in Corona. We even went to the mall when I transformed myself into a human." He shook his head with a smile, "We got into trouble too. Well, at least _I _did. I told her friends that I was going to the Corona University. I didn't know they go there. Then her friends _squealed_ that they went to the same University and now they expect me to go—"

"That's so exciting!" Tooth exclaimed.

"College, eh?" North smiled at him, "That's a good idea, Jack!"

Bunnymund glanced at Tooth and North, "Why is it a good idea?"

North laughed and let out a ho ho ho, "Jack can take a time off from guardian duties. Maybe this is what Manny was saying earlier."

"You mean to say that Manny _agrees_ to let Jack take a time off from his winter spirit duties and experience college?" Tooth's eyes widened with excitement, "Manny's really nice!"

They all looked up at the moon. Jack was so confused. _Manny's letting him stay with Rapunzel?_

"Why, Manny, why are you doing this?" Jack asked up at the moon above.

The moon shone brighter as if it was telling something to him. Jack tightened his lips and looked at the other guardians. North nodded at him, Sandy gave a thumbs up, Tooth smiled at him while Bunnymund only shrugged. If it was Manny who said something, they couldn't argue about it. Jack let out a sigh and looked at Manny, "Alright." He said. Maybe Manny was planning something they don't notice yet so he just agreed even though he knew it was a bit of a hassle on his part. But hey, it was the least he could do for the…thing that took him out of the dark.

"I still can't believe Manny's letting him do _this_.." Bunnymund whispered to Sandy.

Jack looked at the four other guardians, "Why don't _you_ get the same 'privilege'?" he asked.

Tooth smiled at him, "I can't transform like you Jack. And I'm not a seasonal spirit like you."

North laughed again, "I'm too old and I have a lot to do. Listing kids in the naughty or nice column isn't easy."

Jack looked at Bunnymund. As expected, Bunny just rolled his eyes, "I'm not even human and turning back into a small Pooka ain't fun. Kids get'ta hug you too tight until you run outta air. Ain't good memories."

Jack turned to Sandy. He just shrugged then an image made of his own sand appeared above his head. It looked like a boy and a girl standing side by side with a heart in-between. They all looked at him. He had this dreamy sigh and pointed at Jack then at the image on his head which turned into a girl with freakishly long hair. Not long, the image shifted into another image which looked like a heart. North was the first to understand. He laughed loudly like he always used to.

"Oh, Sandy!" he cried happily, "You are right. They should get _together, _no?" he looked at Jack, Bunny and Tooth who were still confused but Tooth got it too.

"Oh, yeah! They're going to be so cute together, eating out and watching movies and—" Tooth was interrupted by Bunny.

"You mean _date_?" Bunny snickered evilly at Jack.

Jack frowned and inhaled at the same time. _What in the name of Manny were they talking about?_

North patted Jack's shoulder, "Ah, Jack, you will understand soon when you realize."

Jack looked at North, eyeing him, "Realize what?"

North was about to answer him when Manny suddenly shone brighter and dimmer and brighter again as if he was trying to tell them something. They all stared up at him. They watched him intently. It shone brighter and longer this time and showed an image of a girl and food on the floor. Everyone wondered what it was. Then it suddenly hit Jack.

"Crap! I forgot!" Jack hit the side of his head with his palm, "I told Rapunzel that I'll be home by dinner time!" he said, motioning to fly but what Bunny said made him stop.

"Aww, you two are already playing married!" Bunny laughed and the others followed and gave him an "aww".

Jack frowned, "Quit it, kangaroo. We're not." He said. Bunnymund was the least of his worries that time. He didn't care whether the Pooka threw insults at him. The only thing that mattered was what he told Rapunzel. He didn't want her to get upset again for the unknownth time for the entire day. So, he just waved at them and flew off. He asked the wind to take him to Corona the fastest it could. The wind was so fast that it immediately made potential typhoons by the ocean.

"Wind, when I get to Rapunzel's room, slow down the typhoon or make it turn around, away from civilization as best as you could." He said. He and the wind communicated in a way that only he could understand. The wind told him that it will follow what he tells it. Jack made a one-sided smile, "Thanks, wind." He said and soon, he could see the outline of Corona. The wind assisted him to Rapunzel's house and swiftly landed him on the dark alley nearby. He transformed himself. He _did_ promise he'll be human in her house.

He walked to the door when he felt the wind leave and knocked on it. Not long, Rapunzel opened it. She was glad to see him. So glad that she hugged him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and gave him a tight I-missed-you hug. Jack was surprised for a bit but hugged her back and when they pulled off, he arched a brow at her with a smirk, "I was only gone for three hours and you already missed me?"

He saw her eyes widen, hinting that she was going to pout again, so he smiled curtly at her, "I'm joking, Goldilocks." He said and looked at her with pleading eyes, "Can I come in?"

Her expression swiftly changed. Her lips curved upward and her cheeks flustered a bit, "Of course!" she said and let him in.

He walked inside and smelled what she was cooking. The smell was familiar but he couldn't really pin point what it is or what it's called, even. He looked at her, "What's cookin'?"

Rapunzel ran to the kitchen, "Take a look."

He followed her and looked over her shoulder. It smelled sweet and when she removed the lid, the full force of the smell entered his nostrils. The dish looked familiar but he couldn't really remember what it was called.

She glanced at him, "Buttered shrimp. Do you like it?"

He nodded, "Yeah…" he trailed off. _Oh, the smell! It makes me hungrier, _he thought, swallowing his saliva.

She returned the lid and faced him, "You can go change your clothes. I got a fresh set of clothes on my bed for you to wear." She said and got the whole spoon and dipped it into the saucepan and got a bit of the soup. She blew on it and tasted it. She blinked a few times and scooped another and blew on it again. This time, she lifted it to him.

Jack took a moment to look at the whole spoon then at her then back at the whole spoon with a bit of soup in it. Her eyes looked so insisting that he gave up and held the handle and neared it to his lips and sipped the soup. _This is pretty good, _he thought while looking at the whole spoon. He looked at her with a smile, "I can't wait to eat." He said and sped up to her room to change.

Rapunzel couldn't help but smile and blush. Her heartbeat went fast again. She didn't know what the feeling is but it was complicating. It felt tight yet light. She couldn't breathe but it was fine. She was absorbed by her thoughts again. _Maybe…_ it was what her friends called a 'crush'. She was so preoccupied that she didn't here Jack's loud thumping footsteps when he came down the wooden stairs. She only realized that she was deep in thought when he called her.

"Goldilocks? Hey, Goldilocks!" he waved his hand in front of her.

She almost jumped back when she realized Jack was already in front of her, dressed in plain white V-neck type shirt and grey cargo shorts.

"O-oh I'm sorry! I'll get the plates!" she said, putting down the whole spoon on a chopping board.

"No, I'll do it. Just go get yourself cleaned up." He insisted, pulling on two plates, bowls and utensils from a kitchen cabinet.

"But—"

"Go on, I insist." He smiled at her, reassuring he was fine with it. After all, if they were going to live together, he might as well learn a few things about what to do in a house.

Rapunzel could only nod shyly and cleaned herself with a damp cloth and took off her apron. She sat down opposite him and they started eating. Jack was _really _fast with eating. An entire plate full of food was all eaten within _eight to ten minutes!_ Rapunzel smiled at the realization and got more rice for him. She started a conversation since it felt awkwardly silent.

"So, what did you do in North Pole?"

Jack slowed down and looked at her and shrugged, "The usual—having a talk with all four of them."

"Not that I'm feeling close or anything of some sort but, what did you guys talk about?"

_You, _he thought. "About what Manny told them." He said.

"Who's Manny?" she stopped eating.

"Oh, it's the Man in Moon. He's the one who chose us. Y'know… the one who chose us to be guardians."

"I see…" she looked at her food then looked at Jack through her lashes, "What did he tell them?"

Jack smirked and shook his head in utter disbelief on what happened earlier in North Pole. He still couldn't believe Manny allowed him to be relieved of his duties for a while. "Eh… about the problem we had back at Shakey's." he said as he forked a skinned shrimp. He looked at her with his eyes, "About me telling your friends about my being going to CU." He said and ate the shrimp.

Rapunzel grabbed her glass of water and drank before she spoke, "What about it?"

He kept quiet for a moment. His lips tightened to a straight line, eyebrows furrowed and then, he sighed. Rapunzel wondered what was in his mind. He was acting a bit strange for a bit there. She was going to open her mouth, about to say that he doesn't have to answer her question but he spoke first. She saw that he was smirking but he felt kind of hopeless, at least along those lines.

"He allowed me to go to CU."

Rapunzel's eyes widened.

_She definitely didn't expect __**that.**_

**End of Chapter**

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**I hope you guys liked this chapter! D: xD I rushed this earlier before going to school. It's weird for Manny to do that but, what the heck, right? Who knows? Manny might be as nice as what Tooth said he is.**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	7. Visit to Corona University

**It's a Sunday where I'm at. But I'm sorry I didn't upload yesterday. I was planning to finish this chapter yesterday but my aunt needed the pc so I wasn't able to finish. :D I hope you enjoy!**

**Jackunzel 673824: hahaha not in other countries xD I mixed a bit of our culture here since modern Corona is a fictional town… and, yeah xDD :D**

**I do NOT own Tangled, Rise of the Guardians or any of the brands/companies and the like in this fan fic.**

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**Chapter 7: Visit to Corona University**

Rapunzel looked at him. She was confused and happy at the same time. It confused her because how can he go to college? Doesn't he have duties to attend to? Doesn't he have anything better to do? Not that college is a bad idea, but still. On the other hand, she was happy because he'll be with her even at school. More questions popped up in her mind but most of it left unanswered. She held her spoon and fork and stared at her plate. Things still didn't sink in. There's a question in her mind that she wanted him to answer. She inhaled and looked at him with her eyes. She tried fixing her question structure so it would be easy for him to understand. She bit her lower lip. _What if he doesn't know?, _she asked herself. _I'll have to fix it myself then, _she thought then she swallowed. She looked at her plate then back at him.

"How will you enroll in CU?" she asked.

Jack looked at her then slowly looked at his plate. _She's right. How do I get in?, _he panicked a bit. He played with his lips, trying to think of a way but his mind was only malfunctioning the more he thought about it. Actually, the more he thought about her question, the more things popped in his mind that he didn't need right now. The things he wanted to remember before but couldn't and now keep showing up. It almost drove him mad. He sighed in frustration. _He doesn't have an answer._

"I.. don't know, honestly. Manny didn't say anything about how I'll get in." he frowned, staring aimlessly at his food.

Rapunzel's heart skipped a beat and she swallowed again. Her habit when she was nervous was taking over again, "I-I… I can help you with that." She muttered, trying to stop her habit.

He looked at her with a questioning expression, "You could?"

The corner of her lips tugged upwards, forming a small smile, "Of course!" she said with a little bit of enthusiasm, "You just need an application form, medical certificate and a lot of one-by-one sized picture, and you're all set!"

He felt relieved but he wasn't sure, though. He still wanted to have fun with the snow he makes as a spirit but Manny said he can go to college. The Man in Moon wasn't forcing him to go, he just _can_ go to college any time if he wishes but something inside him said that he should take a break and experience life he never had for the second time around but this time, as a human. He also thought that maybe going to college with Rapunzel was a good idea and that it was fun. He'll get to learn a lot of things get new experiences. After all, he was born a long time ago and that the things he will be encountering were still not yet invented. _So why not give it a shot?_

He let out a small sigh and smiled, "Alright. So when do we fix this _application_?" he asked.

Rapunzel's eyes rolled up as she pulled her lips in a bit and tilted her head, "Hmm.. how about tomorrow before we put up the Christmas tree in the living room?" she said as she turned her gaze at him, her face showing an expression of excitement and happiness.

He nodded and smiled back at her. They continued to eat dinner then helped each other wash the dishes and watched a bit of news before going to bed. Rapunzel changed her clothes to her pajamas. Jack glanced around the room, trying to look for something. He looked under the bed, under the pillows and on the window seat but he didn't see it. When Rapunzel was going to lie down, she noticed him. He was almost panicking.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her head moving as she stared at his figure, pacing back and forth at the foot of her bed.

"I can't find my hoody _or_ my capris!" he said, stopping himself from pacing and threw his hands down in a way that made him look like he just lost his wallet containing a few hundred dollars.

Rapunzel's expression turned to a very apologetic one. Her eyes were almost teary, "I'm sorry! I placed it in the laundry basket because I thought you wanted it clean when we get back." She cried. He stared at her in disbelief, not that he was mad or anything. "I was planning on washing our clothes after we build the Christmas tree tomorrow… I'm sorry…" she pouted down at her hands.

He continued to stare at her_. Man, is she thoughtful…_ _not to mention_ _responsible_, he thought. He saw that her eyes were forming tears, threatening to trickle down any second so he went to the side of the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't cry, Goldilocks. It's fine. I just panicked 'cause I thought I lost it." he gave her a genuine smile, assuring her it was fine and that he wasn't the least bit mad.

She didn't look at him and only nodded. Jack felt a pang of pain strike his chest and frowned at this. Why was he feeling that way? _Probably because I over reacted earlier and didn't bother asking her about my hoodie… and I scared her, _he thought as his frown worsened and tightened. He took his hand and went to the window seat when she turned away from him. There was silence between them. He looked outside the window, looking up at the stars. Not too long, he heard a dragging sound so he turned his head and saw Rapunzel dragging a single-bed mattress. She was pinning it in-between her arm and waist with one hand and held the front side with another.

He immediately stood up and helped her. They laid it on the floor by the window seat. Rapunzel opened a drawer under her cabinet and got a bed sheet and covered the mattress with it. Again, he helped her. He was wondering why she got another bed and if she wanted to sleep on the floor without any support to the mattress or something. He stared at her. He saw that she reached for two of her pillows and placed it on the mattress and crawled back up her bed and got her other blanket (she had two blankets because it was still cold with only one blanket) and placed it properly on the bed on the floor. She tucked herself in her blanket and smiled at him, "Sleep." She said.

His eyes travelled down the bed then at her, "I'm going to sleep _there?_ But I thought I'll be sleeping on the window seat?"

She chuckled, "You'll get cramps and feel weird in the morning if you do."

_So very thoughtful._

He wanted to reject but she gave him puppy-dog-eyes and pouted so he gave in. _It was cold anyway, _he told himself so he wouldn't feel shy about lying on someone else's bed but it didn't help. He just tossed and turned for at least an hour before he fell asleep. Once or twice he woke up in the middle of the night, still feeling shy about the bed. He wanted to shift to the window seat but he thought that Rapunzel might get upset if he did so he just lied down with his hands under his head and the blanket messily lying on top of him. The room was lit with a dim light coming from the street. He thought about what had happened just yesterday. _So many things happened, _he thought. Experiencing playing in the snow as a human, eating in a restaurant, being seen by people, being bumped on to _by_ people—it was all new to him. For a long time, he was only regarded as an "expression" or anything but a being that makes people happy, too like his four guardian friends.

Jack smiled at the memory of meeting Jamie and his friends. He couldn't believe someone could actually believe in him. Then his smile faded. He remembered his first encounter with Rapunzel. His smiled crept back up when he remembered how she threw things at him and how she held her sketchpad in defense, how her eyes glowed when she found out it was him and how her cheeks would turn a lighter shade than scarlet whenever she smiled at him. His smile grew wider at the memory of her pouting at him. He thought about their day the day before and thought about what was going to happen later that morning. His mind was so busy that he didn't know when he fell asleep again because his imagination when he was awake turned into a dream when he fell asleep.

They next day, they went to get Jack's one-by-one pictures from the mall after they shopped for some school materials for him. He told her he could manage with a pen and a compiled scratch paper or a notepad but she didn't like the idea and said that every student must have his or her own notebook and other school stuff, aside from some miscellaneous, but generally, a student must. He could only sigh in defeat and let her buy it but he felt so awkward because someone buys him his _own_ things. He wished he could buy them on his own because the money she uses should be used and only be used by her _for _her and not for anyone else. But who is he kidding? He doesn't have cash with him. Heck, he doesn't even own a wallet. He frowned at himself, _I'm gonna get a job, _he thought, _but what job?, _he frowned some more.

They walked around the mall, ignoring the girls staring at him again and got his one-by-ones. Rapunzel opened the small envelop and looked at his pictures and smiled at him, "Wow, you don't need photoshopping." She chuckled.

"Photoshop?" he asked and got a copy. He stared at it. He looked the same, "What do you mean Photoshop?" he asked.

She smiled and looked at his picture, "Photoshop is a photo editing software. It's actually obvious when a face is photoshopped or not. Yours didn't even need editing, it's amazing!" she said, still looking at his picture for a while then returned it to the envelope. Jack returned the copy too and they walked to a bakery in the mall and ordered Marble Bread. Jack carried the plastics of school supplies they got from NBS while Rapunzel ate her piece of the Marble Bread. They went out the exit and waited for a cab.

"Hey, Goldilocks, don't you have school today? It's Monday, isn't it?"

She grinned at him, "Nope. The school allowed three days of preparation for the campus-wide Christmas party."

"Oh. So, what are you going to do in the party?" he asked.

A cab came and they went in at the back. They continued talking.

"Well," Rapunzel started as she leaned back, "Me and some classmates of mine were assigned to do a dance, which we are already done practicing last week." She smiled and when he didn't speak, she continued, "I was also assigned to do the lettering for the "Merry Christmas" thing but I'm not done yet."

Jack had nothing better to say so he just asked again, "Can I help?"

Rapunzel looked down at her hands, still smiling, "Yeah. But it's in the theatre arts room back at school so…" she trailed off, looking at him with her eyes, "I'm going to school tomorrow after getting the laundry to the laundry store. Wanna come?" she asked, looking at him this time.

He nodded, "Yeah. I don't have anything to do tomorrow the whole day until 7 p.m. so, I might as well come along."

She blinked twice, "7 p.m.? What are you going to do by then?"

"I still have to check on places even though I'm relieved of my guardian duties. I still have to. Christmas day is near so I must." He said as he looked outside.

She really wanted to spend time with him that day but she thought she had a lot of time with him yesterday. _I can't be selfish, _she thought. Her throat ached and she tried swallowing whatever is inside so she could speak without her voice obviously faltering. She mentally slapped herself and inhaled. _Smile, Punz, __**smile**__, _she told herself. After a few twitches from her lips and a few hardships on the way, she was able to smile, "Be careful, okay?" she said in a soft voice. He looked at her with a smile. It took away some of the ache from her throat. Her cheeks felt sore from holding her smile. She never really faked a smile. Whenever she was sad, she'd cry on her friends', telling them her problem but _this _was different. She didn't want him to see her crying.

_He's going to think I'm annoying and ugly. He might not like me anymore, _she thought.

Hell, she was paranoid. Her whole life, she never thought she was near pretty. She always thought men do not like girls crying and that girls should be pretty to be likable and appreciated. She noticed that in most of the men since her high school. She only talked to a few boys she was afraid that having a lot of guy friends would make a wrong impression of her.

That evening, Rapunzel was alone in her room, sitting by her study table. She left Jack watching the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. series in the living room. She was thinking about designs on the lettering she was asked to do. She couldn't choose between garland and glitters as the border. She thought it might be exaggerated if she chose garland but the glitters weren't enough and the glimmer wouldn't reach so far. She set aside the problem first and thought of the layout of the lettering. She made a couple of drafts for the layout. She thought that she should put it on the wall up the stage in a curvy way but she still needed second and third opinions. Her mind went back to the outline.

"Garland is too expensive…" she muttered to herself then she grabbed her red and green coloring pens and dotted on her lettering design. She made diagonal stripes across each letter and dotted it with red in one stripe and green on another stripe. She finished every letter and tapped her cheek with the end of her green pen.

"Hmm… What if I made the stripes glitters?" she asked herself, "And stick Christmas lights on the borders!" she said, her face lit up with a wide grin. She draw Christmas lights at the border of the letters and encircled it with her red pen.

The door flew open revealing a yawning Jack. It was already 10 p.m. and he was tired from all the shopping, waiting and building of the Christmas tree earlier that evening. Rapunzel smiled at him, "How was the show?"

Jack smiled back and went to her bathroom, "It was funny. I was laughing for a good two minutes."

She stood up and grabbed a towel from a nearby drawer and gave it to him, "Here. You can take a shower if you want."

He blinked, "Yeah. I think I already smell bad."

She chuckled and opened her door, "I'll get some clothes for you." She said and she went out. She went to her parents' room again and got another set of her father's clothes and placed it by the sofa near the bathroom door and knocked on the door, "Hey, I placed your clothes on the chair by the door." She said and went downstairs to check on the doors, windows and the tree they made. She stared at the Christmas tree. The Christmas lights that were wrapped over the red and gold garland flickered. She looked under the tree. There were no gifts yet.

_I'm gonna put my gift for him there, _she thought and smiled. She went back upstairs and saw that Jack was half naked and he had his towel by his head. The both of them fell silent. _Awkward…_

Rapunzel slammed the door shut and stood outside with her back pressed against the door. She was blushing _madly!_ It was her first time to see a guy wearing only boxers. On the other hand, Jack stared at the door. It shocked him. It was his first time to be seen half naked by a girl. He quickly wore the shorts and shirt she placed on the chair and hanged the towel on the towel rack behind the bedroom door and opened it.

Rapunzel was still leaning back on the door, replaying what had just happened then suddenly, the door opened and she fell back. Jack caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her up and helped her straighten herself. Another moment of awkward silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry!" they both said in unison. She turned to him and he was rubbing the back of his neck.

_Still awkward…_

"I-It's fine…" Rapunzel said and rushed to the bathroom and locked the door before Jack could even say anything.

That night was a very awkward night. So awkward that even the morning after was affected. They went to Corona University without talking to each other. That is, until they went to the theatre arts room. The room was **huge.** Jack was looking up at the ceiling, appreciating the designs on it and the old-looking style of the venue. Rapunzel rushed to the stage and he followed. He saw the lettering she was making. It was twice the size of a short bond paper. He looked at her.

"What did you plan on doing about the letters?" he asked. He knew she was planning last night.

"Glitters on the letters—stripes of glitters and Christmas lights as the border." She smiled as she fixed the letters.

Then they heard the main door open and a few people entered. It was her _female_ classmates.

The two of them gulped a bit.

_Uh-oh.._

**End of Chapter**

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**Yay! Finally done. Took me two days to finish. xD Hope you liked this chapter… Okay, maybe not because it's boring : I had to rush this one -_- bro kept on bothering me about borrowing the pc.**


	8. Preparations

**It's September already and I'm already excited for Christmas! Also, I'm excited for Rapunzel's upcoming campus-wide Christmas party! :D Especially her dance number!**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG and the brands/companies and the like mentioned in this fan fic.**

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**Chapter 8: Preparations**

Rapunzel sighed a bit and ignored the girls walking down the middle aisle. She got a letter and pressed it against the wall. She thought that maybe she could get help from the theatre arts students to stick it for her because she still had to fix her dance costume for her dance number. She grabbed another letter and pressed it against the wall too. Jack went to her, "Need any help?" he asked. She shook her head, "Nah. I was just trying to see if my layout looks really okay." She said and took the letters from the wall and placed them back with the other letters. He followed her. They were arranging the letters when suddenly, someone spoke.

"So, Rapunzel, have you thought about my offer?"

Rapunzel inhaled and sighed with exasperation. _She was tired of her._ She turned to the group of five girls and straightened herself. "Yes and I say _no_."

Jack glanced at them. He was confused. He could feel the intensity of the two girls and watched them intently.

"Even if I pay you _thirty_ grand for it?" the girl asked. Jack looked at her. The girl had a long crimson red hair and feisty green eyes. She was wearing a bit of blush-on and lip gloss, considering how her lips shined unnaturally. His brows furrowed a bit and then, he glanced at Rapunzel who was a bit irritated by the look of her face. Rapunzel frowned, "Even if you offer the whole continent, I still won't." she spat. Jack could see and feel her irritation getting higher by the second. He was curious on what were they talking about.

There was a bit of silence and then the girl with red hair spoke, "Fine. But you're stupid to turn down such a big deal." She scoffed at her and turned to leave with her posse but Rapunzel jumped down the stage and placed her hands on her hips, "You're the stupid one here." She said as she smirked at her back.

The girl turned to her again and walked towards her until they were only a feet away from each other, "What did you just say, blondie?" she narrowed her eyes at Rapunzel. Jack knew there's going to be trouble so he jumped down the stage and landed behind Rapunzel. He went closer to her just in case one of them attacks.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes as she scoffed, "You heard me. If anyone's stupid, it would be you. Can't you understand a simple '_no_'?" she crossed her arms, "Now I'm wondering how you graduated high school if you don't even know what that means. I'm also starting to wonder if **you're** the one who made _your _assignments and not some _person_ you just pay to do it for you so you'll pass." She smirked at the girl.

The girl smirked back at her, "You think you're so smart, Rapunzel, even though you aren't."

"And you think _you _are?"

Jack watched them. They reminded him of himself and Bunnymund but in a different and higher case. This was something serious. The red head was willing to pay Rapunzel a lot just to do school work and, probably, impress her professors. It doesn't take a valedictorian to know that it was against school rules. Hearing the red head insult Rapunzel made him _almost_ lose his patience.

"Am I not? I'm one of the top ten in the dean's lists." The red head crossed her arms with pride.

Rapunzel placed her hands on her hips again, "Are you sure you're the one who worked hard for it? And I don't believe you."

The group of girls laughed, headed by the red haired girl, "You couldn't believe I'm smarter than you?" she said and continued laughing.

"Of course I don't. You see, if you were, you probably know how to actually fight arguments by sticking to the topic, not changing it by… hmm.. I don't know, _throwing insults and accusations to your opponent,_ maybe?" Rapunzel arched a brow, which made the red head stop from laughing. It hit her.

Rapunzel knew she got her. She liked the sight of the girl turning red from embarrassment and anger. She never thought she could stand up to her until a while ago, when her patience snapped. She was the type who wouldn't try to argue with anyone because, generally, she dislikes arguments. But now, she has had enough of the girl. Rapunzel inhaled a bit. Unknown to her, the red head was going to hit her but Jack caught the girl's wrist. All of the girls' eyes widened. They didn't notice him until now but for Rapunzel, she didn't feel him move his way in front of her. She knew he was behind her but he was just so quick!

"I think you've done enough damage already." He said, glaring a bit at the red head. All of them were still too shock to move. Rapunzel was the first one to recover. This time, she was the one who was watching them. She watched carefully to see if either one of them would do anything violent. She felt a bit relieved when Jack let go of the girl's wrist but, he was still glaring at her. She held his wrist and pulled him beside her and stepped forward, "You might want to leave before _I _strangle you." She said.

The red head glanced at the both of them but she eyed Jack from head to toe and smirked. From the looks of her, she seemed she likes Jack's bad boy look. She turned and snapped her fingers and left the theatre arts room with her girls and slammed the door shut. The echo of the slamming rang inside the theatre and left them staring at the door. Rapunzel sighed. It was one big leap for her.

She sat at the bottom of the stage and leaned back on it, "God, I thought I was going to be done for." She said, looking at her hands. She was trembling from the irritation she felt earlier. She tried calming herself down from the nervousness and a bit of anger she felt by inhaling and exhaling as exaggerated as she could.

Jack went in front of her and bent his legs. He looked at her then at her hands and noticed she was still trembling so he held them gently yet firmly. "Man, girls like her still exist? I thought they were extinct by now." He said.

She laughed, "I wish they were but I guess it wouldn't happen ever." She smiled up at him, "Thanks Jack."

His lips curved into a small smile, "No problem, Goldilocks."

They both stood up and someone suddenly barged in.

"There you are!" a girl said loudly, her voice echoing in the room. "Everyone's been looking for you, Punz! The venue's changed! It'll be held outside, in the football field!" she added. She was looking at Rapunzel but saw Jack's figure standing by her, "Who's he?" she asked, loud enough for her voice to echo.

Rapunzel grabbed the letterings. Jack helped her.

"I'll explain on the way." She said and went to the backstage and grabbed two shoe boxes full of glitter cylinders and went to the door.

While on the hallway, Rapunzel introduced Jack to her friend and club mate, Jenny. She also explained that Jack was going to transfer to CU after the Christmas vacation. Like Toni, Duchess and Moira, she asked his relationship with Rapunzel. And like what he told the trio, he said he was a family friend or the son of Rapunzel's dad's friend. _I'll just stick with 'family friend',_ Jack thought. But unlike the trio, Jenny didn't ask a lot, just their relationship and where he currently stays. And luckily for the both of them, Jenny didn't _squeal_ like the three did. The whole trip to the football field was silent but when they opened the double doors to the field, they were greeted by a lot of noise echoing in the field.

There were students designing the light posts with garland, some were decorating the stage, some were placing black rubber mats across the field and some were practicing their dance numbers. The three of them went to the stage and placed down the letters on a nearby table. They were greeted by the other students assigned to fix and decorate the stage. They gathered around them but all eyes were on Jack. They looked at him from head to toe. It made him uncomfortable again. He still wasn't used to being seen by a lot of people so, he stiffened a bit.

A boy with black messy hair, Clarence, looked at Rapunzel then back at Jack, "So, who's he?"

Everyone had their eyes turned to Rapunzel now. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable and blush. She bowed her head and looked at them, at Jack then back at them and lifted her head back, "This is Jack. He'll be transferring here."

They all nodded in an Oh-I-see way and looked at Jack again. Clarence held his hand out to him for a handshake. For a moment, Jack stared at his hand and took it. The black haired boy gave him a firm handshake and a wide grin, "I'm Clarence." He introduced himself and lifted his arms to his sides, still grinning at him, "We are Rapunzel's club mates, but we prefer to be called her 'campus family'." He added.

They all waved at him and gave him a warm welcome. Some gave him a handshake and some gave him a pat on the shoulders. Jack smiled at them. He didn't know what to say to them—whether he should say _thank you _or _nice to meet you all_. Clarence looked at Rapunzel, "So, are you done with the letters?"

Rapunzel puffed her cheeks, "No."

His eyes widened, "What!? But the party's the day after tomorrow! We need to put the letters up _now!_" he said with obvious panic in his voice. The theatre arts coordinator assigned him to lead their club so he'll be in big trouble if things weren't done on the day of the deadline which was today.

"What? But I thought the deadline's tomorrow?"

"Ms. Claire moved the deadline _today_ because the dancers have to do a dry-run _tomorrow._" He explained and grabbed the letterings she made and gave it to her and looked at her with pleading eyes, "Please, Punzie?"

Rapunzel stared at him for a while and sighed in defeat, "Oh, alright!" she said and went to the table. Everyone got back to their work. Jack walked to her and looked at what she was doing—she was spreading glue diagonally and then, she sprinkled red glitters all over it. Then, she left a space for the green glitters and squeezed the glue bottle to put glue at the bottom then she sprinkled red glitters on it too. He now visually saw what she was explaining to him earlier so he helped her with the other letters, doing the same thing she did with the letter M. When it was their turn to sprinkle the green glitters, the letters reminded him of North's candy canes—only they were red and white by color. He smiled. Rapunzel saw this and bumped his hips with hers.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked teasingly.

He chuckled, "Nothing."

She nudged him, "I don't believe you."

He looked at her, smiling, "It's really nothing."

She pouted at him. His heart melted by the sight of her adorable pout again and sighed in defeat but he still smiled at her, "It's really nothing, Goldilocks. I just remembered North's candy cane because of these." He said and held up the letter Y and excess glitters fell from it.

She smiled brightly at him, "Do you miss them?"

He arched a brow, "What? _No!_" he denied but Rapunzel kept teasing him but he still denied it, "I don't miss them. I just…" he looked away from her, looking down at the letterings, "…miss my job…" he mumbled so quietly that she didn't hear him even though they were only inches close.

"What?" she tilted her head.

Jack looked at her with his eyes then back at the letterings, "I just feel different, being a human and all this."

"You'll get used to it soon, I guess. Being a winter spirit for centuries must be something you won't get rid of easily." She smiled at him but she realized that he might misunderstand her, "Not that you _should_ get rid of it. I-I mean that… um.." she stammered badly.

He grinned and placed down on the table the letter he was holding, "I know," he said gently, trying not to sound arrogant, "It just feels really different. I never really thought I would experience _this_." He said, referring to everything he has done so far.

She giggled and gave him a light smack on the back, "Oh, Jack! You'll get used to it. It's only been days since you came to my house and stayed there as—"

"Stayed!?" some of her club mates reacted, notably, the girls. The guys were surprised too but didn't surround them like the girls.

Rapunzel cleared her throat, "He's my _visitor_. He's staying there as my _visitor._" She said, emphasizing on the word 'visitor'. The girls calmed down but they were a bit disappointed though. The guys exhaled. All that time, they were holding their breaths.

Jack gave a sigh of relief. He thought he was going to be surrounded by women again. He looked at Rapunzel who was frowning a bit, her lips forming a small downward curve. His expression of panic softened at the sight of her face. He took the letters, "Let's go put 'em up?"

She looked at him, her expression changing from a frown to a warm smile, "Let's go!" she nodded.

Jack got a chair and stood on it while Rapunzel was down the stage, several feet away from the stage. She guided him on where to put the letters. Although, even with her help, it took them a while to place all the letters. When they finished, Jack down the stage and stood beside her. The letters formed an arc across the wooden wall. He was amazed at how the letters sparkled that he smiled unconsciously.

She gave him a friendly pat on the arms, "Good job!" she said, clenching her hands to a fist in front of her.

He looked down at her fist then at her, grinned and bumped her fist with his own.

Since they were done, they said their goodbyes and went home. Immediately, Jack turned transformed himself. He told her he'd be back by sunrise because he still had to go to North's place before going back. Rapunzel could only nod. _I'll be spending some time alone again, _she thought. And this time, it would be long before Jack could get back to her place. She sighed after he left and walked towards the window and looked at the direction where he flew and closed the windows a bit, leaving a small gap for him so when he returned while she was still sleeping, he could enter. Because there was nothing left to do except for sewing her costume, she got the roll of black cloth they bought and went to the mini library where the sewing machine was. She started sowing while listening to her iPod. She took a ten-minute break and went back to sewing.

She thought it was weird for her not to feel sleepy. She looked at the wall clock. She gave a heavy sigh. It was already 2 a.m. but she still wasn't sleepy and she was still only three-quarters done with her dress. She still needed to put white accessories on it. She stood up and searched a nearby drawer for her needed accessories and got them. She sat back down by the sewing machine and started sewing the sequence manually. It took her a good two-and-a-half hours before she completed her dress and decided to hang it by the sewing machine. She was so tired that she almost had to crawl her way up to her room. And as soon her head hit the pillow, she fell into deep slumber.

After an hour, Jack came back. She saw her sleeping, snoring lightly and hugging another pillow with her arms and legs. He smiled at the sight and went down quietly, transforming himself again. He just came from North Pole to ask North for something. It took him a while before he was able to finish his business there. He sat on the floor, placed his staff under her bed and pressed his back against her bed. He decided to take a short nap but he was deeply asleep that he didn't wake up when Rapunzel took a shower and when she opened and closed the bedroom door so she could go to the kitchen and prepare him his breakfast.

It was already 10 a.m. when he woke up. He panicked a bit and rushed downstairs but he didn't see Rapunzel. He went to the kitchen and saw a note on the table.

_Good morning! I'm at school. I thought you were going to wake up earlier so I made breakfast but since you didn't and I didn't want to wake you up, I left your bowl of cereals in the fridge. – Rapunzel_

He released a sigh of relief and placed the note back on the table. He went to the fridge and got his bowl of cereals and ate it quickly so he could go to the university. He took a shower, dressed in the clothes Rapunzel left for him and when he was ready, he closed the windows and locked the doors. He didn't want to use a cab so he ran his way to the place. It took him a while and a few stops but he managed to reach his destination just fine. He wasn't sure how to get in so he tried to walk casually, passing by the gate. The guards checked him but he was able to enter because he told them he was wanted to apply as an art student and he needed to get an application form. They let him pass so he went inside the building first before going to the field.

"Art student," he scoffed at himself, "You're not even artistic, moron." He told himself before opening the same double doors and saw more people than yesterday. The place improved. There was a fountain nearby, buffet tables, group tables and even a tent across the field. He walked in a crowd of rushing students and looked for a certain long-haired blond. He searched her at the back of the stage and saw her wearing a white baggy shirt, black leggings and black strapped heels. She also braided her hair halfway down. She seemed sweating although there was snow around.

Rapunzel was grinning at someone and he doesn't know who because there were too many people at the direction she was looking at. He saw her go to her bag and grab a towel. He walked to her but he stopped when he saw a guy walk up to her and give her a hug. She said something but he couldn't hear it nor could he read her lips. She smiled at the blue haired guy and somehow, it made him frown glare coldly at _him._ When the guy left, Jack walked up to her with a stoic expression.

She noticed there was someone beside her so she turned and saw him. She greeted him with a smile, "Oh, hey! So how was your trip?"

He didn't feel like smiling back, "Fine." He said and went silent. He wasn't looking at her and she noticed that so she looked at the direction where he was looking—at the blue haired boy. She looked back at him, "What's wrong, Jack? Did you see something?"

Jack continued to glare coldly at the boy. _Him, _he thought as a reply to her question, but he really wouldn't say it to her. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Rapunzel stared at him, waiting for his answer. He dismissed looking at the guy and looked at her with a stoic expression, "Nothing." He said as a reply to her question.

She placed her hands on her hips, leaned her hips to the side and arched a brow, "The last time you said that, there was something."

He smirked and also raised a brow, "It's really nothing." He said but she only raised her brow still. He laughed a bit, "Honest." He assured her and changed the topic, "What happened here? And what's with the shoes, Goldilocks?" he asked, looking at her than at her feet as he smirked some more. He looked at her with his eyes, his head still facing the ground.

She looked at her feet then at him and curled her toes, "Practiced our dance."

He lifted his head and nodded, "What are you going to dance, Goldilocks?"

She grinned up at him and placed her hands behind her and leaned a little forward and slowly turned her head to the side as she said, "Secret." She chuckled, "You'll have to come tomorrow for you to see what we're going to dance. I don't want to spoil you." She said and wiped her sweat with her towel.

He placed a hand inside his pocket and posed in such a way that he looked like he was modelling for a photo shoot, "Fair enough." He smirked and stared at her as she drank water from a one-liter sized bottle. She was able to empty half of it in seconds. "So, what are you going to do now?" he asked.

Rapunzel twisted back the bottle cap to its place and looked at him, "I was thinking of getting you a medical certificate. It's a good thing you came so I won't have to go back and ask you to go with me. The hospital's just over there." She pointed at a tall building.

They decided to go to the hospital and get him a medical certificate. Whatever their strategy was, they were able to get a certificate from a doctor. There were no recorded health issues so he didn't need to go back the second time. Rapunzel also brought his one-by-one photos and earlier before practice, she was able to grab a copy of the application form. She was prepared and it surprised him. Man, was she a girl scout. _And she also brought a pen!, _he thought.

She told him to fill up the form and she'll be the one to pass it for him. It was a bit hard for him to write because he only wrote a few times and all of it were on moist glass, not papers. Now that he was done, he wondered what was going to happen on his first day of college. He returned the pen to her and stared at the application form. He didn't know if he should smile or stick with his usual poker-face. He looked at her. She fixed the forms in order and placed them in her bag. She looked and smiled at him.

"You'll do fine, Jack." She said and zipped close her bag.

He could only smirk.

_I do hope so, Goldilocks._

**End of Chapter**

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**Yay! Another chapter done! This is a make-up chapter for the day I wasn't able to post. :D Hope you liked it! This is the LONGEST chapter I have done so far xD Almost 4000 words! Achievement unlocked!**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	9. The Party Part 1

**I can't believe I'm gonna do this chapter! 3 It's PARTY TIME~!**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 9: The Party Part 1**

Jack and Rapunzel ate lunch in a nearby restaurant. They talked about the party.

"How am I going to be there? I'm not a student yet." Jack said, looking at her. He already finished his lunch.

Rapunzel placed down her spoon on her plate and looked at him, "Oh yeah…" she said. It made her disappointed for a second but an idea struck her. Her expression brightened, "Why not fly to the school? I'll bring your clothes and you can change in the men's room!"

It made him smile. He was relieved that he could go to the school party because he really wanted to see what she was going to dance. But there was a question lingering in his mind. "Clothes?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. It's a party but we chose to wear formal clothes so it's like a Christmas party-prom." She smiled then continued eating. He was only able to let out an, "Oh," as he looked down to his plate. It was going to be his first time wearing formal clothes, _ever_. He was nervous and excited at the same time to wear a coat-and-tie but he was more excited on seeing _her_ dance. He wondered if it was something up-beat or something slow; if it was a kind of 1900's dance or pop. The curiosity made him insane that he wished it was already the next day. He sighed impatiently and scratched his head, trying to control his irritation so Rapunzel wouldn't notice him, but she saw him.

"Anything wrong?" she asked. He looked at her already empty plate then at her eyes and shook his head, "I'm so full." He lied. He didn't want to tell her how much he was anticipating to see her dance. _He really wanted to!_

Rapunzel got her wallet and left a tip on the table, "Let's go home."

They went home. The two of them changed and watched The Avengers in the living room. Rapunzel was sitting on the sofa with her legs folded as she leaned her weight against the arm rest. Her pose made her look like a mermaid while Jack was sitting on the floor, leaning his back on the couch with his legs spread across the floor. In the middle of watching the final fight scene, Rapunzel's phone rang. She didn't pause the movie so Jack could continue to watch while she was talking on her phone. She answered it.

"_Punz, I need your help!" _it was Clarence. He sounded troubled.

"Huh? Why? What's wrong?" she asked, confusion obvious in her tone. Jack looked at her, not minding that the movie was still going.

Clarence sighed, _"I still don't have a gift for Jenny."_

She chuckled, "You know, she appreciates anything you give her."

"_I know,"_ he sounded a bit sad, _"But this time, I want to get her something she __**really**__ wants."_

She looked at the t.v., "Why not make her a small cake?"

"_But that's what __**you **__can give. I can't do __**that**__!"_

His frantic and panicking tone made her laugh, "Then sing something to her! That's something **you **can do."

He was silent for a while but he agreed, _"Yeah. I guess I could do that…"_ he said and was quiet again, _"Thanks for the idea, Punzie! You're awesome!"_ he said happily and it made her smile, "No problem." And with that, she ended the call.

Jack stared still at her, "Who was that?"

"Clarence." She smiled at him.

He turned his head to face the t.v. He seemed to relax more knowing that it was the guy he met earlier in CU. For a minute there, he thought it was that blue-haired guy.

_Now that I think about it…, _he thought and looked at her, "Who was that guy with blue hair earlier?"

"Hm? Jonathan?"

His expression seemed like he cared less, "Who's he?" he asked, trying not sound an overprotective friend. _FRIEND._

"My dance partner."

Jack felt his right brow twitch after hearing the word '_partner_'. "Okay." He said with coldness lingering in his voice. He faced the t.v. and glared aimlessly at it. The way _that guy_ looks at her made his blood boil to his head. Just remembering the moment he saw _him_ hug her made him want to transform into a winter spirit, go back in time and freeze him away from her. Jack clenched his fist. He was annoyed, irritated and mad all at the same time until his conscience knocked on his head.

_Dude, you're jealous, _his conscience told him but he denied it. He could hear his conscience scoff at him, _Sure, _it said with sarcasm, _You're obviously jealous, man, _it added but again, he denied the argument against him.

_Then why are you so overprotective? Just because she doesn't notice doesn't mean you're __**not**__._

He frowned at himself. If his conscience was solid, he would've strangled it to death by now.

_Admit it. You have a crush on her._

He growled as quietly as he could so Rapunzel wouldn't notice. He was still at war with his conscience and denied the accusation.

_Then why do you hold your breath every __**single **__time she smiled at you? Why do you want to see her dance? Why are you jealous of Jonathan? Why do you get offended when someone insults her? Why do you long to be with her when you were back at North Pole?_

He couldn't answer his conscience. He sighed with exasperation and dismissed his conscience. A part of him wanted to deny his conscience but the other wanted to admit defeat and say 'Yes, I like her' but his oblivious and naïve side got the best of him. He ignored his inner feelings and looked at her because the movie was already done. He decided to spend the rest of the day making trouble to other people as a winter spirit so his mind would be occupied by anything but accusations to himself.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel thought it was something she did or said that made him leave. She sighed at herself, nodded at him and decided to continue sewing accessories to her dress. It took her another two hours to attach the added accessories. She looked at her masterpiece. The dress was one-shoulder-trail dress. The front was shorter and the back was longer. Sequence were scattered at the bottom end of the dress, going up. She thought that having more sequence at the bottom and fewer at the top made it seem like there were pearls dispersing into her dress. She decided to attach a fishnet material as the shoulder strap and sewed more sequence on the strap and made the same design as the bottom end of the dress.

Rapunzel smiled at her work. She planned to wear a different dress for the dance number and the party itself but seeing her work made her want to wear the creation she made the entire duration of the party. She was nervous about the dance number. She inhaled and exhaled, "You can do it, Punz!" she encouraged herself. Then she went to try the dress she made and got a pair of heels with diamonds attached on the straps from her mother's closet. As soon as she finished dressing up, she stood in front of her bedroom mirror and looked at herself. _The hair, _she thought and grabbed a transparent hair tie and tied her hair loosely to the side, just below her ear and rested it over her shoulder without the strap. She smiled at the look and grabbed a clip-on white rose and attached it to her hair. Her smile drew wider and changed quickly, fearing that Jack might see her and spoil half of her 'secret'.

Jack came home by dinner time and they converse throughout the course of their meal. Rapunzel was smiling the entire night and to him, she looked pretty. He wondered if she was going to be even prettier the next day. He shook his head and smirked, _Of course she will be! _He thought. After all, if she was pretty even when there's no occasion, she'd be a whole lot prettier if there was a special occasion. The two of them went to bed after dinner but they weren't able to sleep until an hour or so. They were both so excited about what was going to happen in the morning.

The next day, the two of them planned to get their clothes from the laundry store before preparing for the big party. By 11 a.m., Rapunzel washed her father's coat and tie, dried the outfit immediately and ironed it while Jack was thinking of how he was going to get there and where he was going to hide his staff. He thought that he should land himself in some trees near the football field and hide his staff in the bushes. He inhaled, _I hope no one sees it, _he thought to himself. He looked at the wall clock just above the t.v. set. It was already 2 p.m. He rushed to her room.

"It's already 2 p.m.!" he said loudly. She was already hanging his clothes on a small clothing rack.

Rapunzel turned to him with shock, "It's that time already? I'll go take a shower." She said, grabbing her bathrobe and towel. He was panicking a bit because he didn't know what to do. He thought of preparing himself but he didn't know _what _to prepare. He checked the clothes, the shoes and everything else he needed and since all of it were already prepared, he decided to sit outside of her room. He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. He breathed heavily. _He was nervous. _So nervous that he was almost panting as if he was a father-to-be just waiting for his laboring wife in the hospital corridor.

"Jack?" Rapunzel called. She was done taking a bath.

He immediately stood up and opened the door. He saw her wearing a violet bathrobe with her hair wrapped with a violet towel. His cheeks turned red and he turned away, trying to hide his blush, "I'm sorry…" he swallowed. "I-I'll go take a shower a now." He mumbled, got his own towel and went to the bathroom without looking at her. He shut the door firmly and locked it.

Rapunzel was just as shocked as he was. She wore her undergarments and wore the bathrobe back on and applied a thin layer of blush-on on her cheeks; a bit of silver eye shadow; black and silver eye-liner around her eyes; mascara and pink lipstick under a coat of lip gloss. Jack was finished taking a shower and opened the door a bit to slip out his hand and grab his undergarments. The two of them were so busy with dressing up and making themselves look good that they didn't notice it was already 4 p.m. Jack was dressing up in her parents' bedroom. He took a while on trying to figure out how to do the necktie but he gave up when his patience was at the verge of snapping. He went and knocked on her door.

"Goldilocks, I don't know how to tie this _thing_." He frowned as he gripped on the necktie hanging over his shoulders.

"Just a sec!" Rapunzel said loudly, hurrying up from wearing a trench coat to hide her dress. She wanted to surprise him.

Jack was still frowning because the bloody necktie was just so hard to arrange. He muttered curses about the thing and the one who _ever _invented the blasted strip of cloth. When the door opened, his heart skipped a beat but eventually ached because she was wearing a trench coat. She looked up at him and giggled at his expression.

"Let me fix it for you." She said as she folded and turned the necktie under the white polo's collar. When she was done, she scanned him from head to toe.

_He looks quite dashing, _she thought.

He was wearing a black coat and pants, white polo, black leather shoes and a necktie with diagonal thin black and silver stripes. She grinned up at him and he raised a brow at her.

"What?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing. I'll just get my bag." She went inside her room and grabbed her fancy shoulder bag.

Jack assisted her until she got a cab but he worried about her. _What if the driver can't be trusted?_, he thought so he decided to ride the cab with her. Rapunzel was confused. She thought he was going to fly his way to the field.

"Jack, what are you doing?" she said as she scooted to the side.

"I'm coming with you." He said plainly.

"Aren't you going to…" she trailed off, not saying everything because the driver might hear them.

"I know. Just…" he looked at his hands, "Nevermind. I'll find a way to get in."

When they got to Corona University, it was already 5 p.m., just in time for the start. They went to the field and saw that sky-lights, balloons and ribbons were added to the designs. They were both mesmerized. There were so many people. The young teachers almost looked like students because of their outfits. Rapunzel saw her friends and waved at them.

"Clarence! Jenny!" she waved at them. The couple waved and went to them.

Clarence was wearing a grey colored suit while Jenny wore a red chiffon dress and tied her hair into a bun. They both scanned the two and smiled. It wasn't their clothes but the way they were standing close to each other. They noticed how Rapunzel held his arm by his elbows and Jack had one hand in his pocket.

"You two look nice." Jenny smiled sweetly.

Rapunzel smiled back, "You two look cute!"

Clarence laughed, "I know right?" he grinned at her then looked at Jack, "So, Jack, did she force you to come here?"

Jack smirked, looked at Rapunzel then at Clarence, "Sort of. She wouldn't show me her dress and their dance unless I came."

Rapunzel looked at him and puffed her cheeks, "What's _that_ supposed to mean? I merely saved your surprise!" she said.

"Aww, Punz, he was just excited." Clarence poked her cheek. Jack's eyes widened a bit and looked away, blushing a bit. He avoided eye contact with Rapunzel, "Y-yeah…" he murmured.

"See? Cheer up! You don't want your night ruined before it has even started." The black haired boy grinned at her. "Well, we'll be going now." He said and looked at Jack again, "Have fun!" he said. He and Jenny waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd.

Jack and Rapunzel decided to sit down by the table near the corner of the tent. For Jack, it was one of the most un-easiest moments of his life. Whenever girls passed by, they stared at him and it made him stiff. He looked at Rapunzel who was talking to some friends on the table beside theirs. He guessed they were her club mates so he didn't bother her. Then, Toni came to their table and asked if she could borrow Rapunzel for a bit. He nodded.

"Jack, can you please hold on to my bag? I'll be back." She said and left her bag in his hands.

His eyes followed her but then, he saw a certain blue-haired guy going the same direction as hers. _Jonathan, _he glared at the boy. He stood up, with Rapunzel's bag in his hands, and followed them. But unfortunately, girls blocked his path. They kept on asking for his name, number and if he has a date. He didn't know what to do. They were all over him. But thankfully, Duchess and Moira were there. They divided the girls and pushed Jack _away_ from them.

"Sorry, girls. He's with Rapunzel." Duchess said as she pushed Jack but he wouldn't budge. She frowned, "Come on, man! Move!" she said.

Moira poked his arm, "Don't you want to see Rapunzel's dance number?"

Duchess was still doing her best to push Jack and when he took a step, she almost fell. He walked instinctively to the middle of the crowd and the two girls just followed him. There were students and teachers asking them to give some room for the dancers. The host and hostess greeted them.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" they said. "Welcome to the campus-wide Christmas party!"

The hostess smiled, "Tonight, we'll start off with the dancers. And we'll start with a sexy Tango."

"Ooh, Tango," the host commented as he grinned at the hostess.

"Yes, Sir Logan! And the first pair to dance on the floor is Jonathan, Rapunzel and Mariah!"

The crowd screamed, shout and chanted their name.

Jack turned to look at where the spotlights were set and saw Rapunzel at one side and Jonathan at the other. The music was played—it was "Bust Your Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan. The girls shrieked and squealed while the boys screamed. He saw them starting to walk to the middle slowly, Tango obviously visible in their body movement. The sight of Rapunzel made Jack _gape _at her. She was so stunning. Her self-made dress was remarkable. The back of her dressed flowed smoothly with her every move, as did the tips of her long hair. His "anger" towards Jonathan faded for a while. He saw the way she moved her body—how her head turned in a snappy yet elegant way; how she made every step fiercely yet gracefully and her hand movements were just perfect.

When Jonathan spun her around, Jack felt his heart leap. In the dance, when the chorus was sung the second time around, another girl joined. Jonathan and Mariah were the ones dancing together now and Rapunzel was dancing alone. Jack realized that Rapunzel was the one who was cheated on… in the dance at least. He saw her join the pair by dancing behind Jonathan, doing the same steps as he as if she was asking for a second chance. It made everyone cheer for them, except Jack who was still staring at her magnificent figure.

Rapunzel detached herself from Jonathan and did a solo dance on the other side again, this time, dancing which looked like she was in pain. Then, when the pair was dancing near her, she joined again—this time, behind Mariah and imitating her steps. After the chorus, Jonathan spun Mariah away and Rapunzel made it look like she took that chance to dance with him again. The two of them danced but Jonathan looked like he was trying to avoid and stop dancing with her but she kept on insisting. The dance felt so _real_ that Jack thought everything he was seeing was for _real_—Rapunzel was still after Jonathan even after he cheated. Jack was still in state of awe until the end. The song ended with Jonathan spinning the two girls towards him.

Everyone clapped—some cheered and some whistled. The dancers bowed and went backstage.

Jack stared at the direction where they went. He inhaled and exhaled through his mouth. He still couldn't believe his eyes. His heartbeat was fast. He swallowed at touched his chest with his right hand and looked at it.

_What __**is **__this feeling?_

**End of Chapter**

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**I was so pumped up doing this chapter, especially the dance! XD I hope you liked this chapter :3**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	10. The Party Part 2

**I'm back! :D Sorry, I was in my grandma's mini convenience store and serving the customers while she was gone. D: d'aww I'm sorry for the late update.**

**FrozenLanterns: Yes! IN A SUIT! 3 Just imagining him IN A SUIT makes me squeal. Thanks you! :D**

**AliceCullen3: Thank you!**

**Guest: 3 Thanks!**

**AnOnlyOption: I actually haven't D: o_o But Bust Your Windows is IN the movie? :o That I must see! I got the inspiration of the dance in the last chapter from my school's dance competition last year.**

**Disclaiming time~! I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies or any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 10: The Party Part 2**

Jack was frowning from confusion. _Maybe his conscience was right. _Maybe he really _does_ like her. He sighed and went back to their seat at the back and sat down because he didn't feel like watching anyone else. Well, he only went there so he'd see _her_ dance. He placed his hands on the table and stared at his hands. It was calloused and pink-ish. He thought about what if he didn't meet her or if he wasn't a spirit. What if he was human living in the modern time and that he and Rapunzel are schoolmates.

_Would we still meet?, _he asked himself. His brow furrowed more, _Even if we do, will we be this close? Will we be closer?, _he asked some more. He was going to growl out loud when suddenly people started to congratulate someone—Rapunzel.

He stood up and look at her. She was smiling and thanking her friends and the people who congratulated her astounding performance. He noticed that she was a bit shake-y too, maybe from the nervousness of dancing in front of so many people. He wondered if she saw him.

Rapunzel went and looked up at him and smiled, still shaking a bit, "How'd I do?"

He blinked once before answering, "Awesome." He smiled back at her.

Her eyes widened and she let out a happy squeal. She hugged him over his shoulders excitedly and thanked him. This time, it was his eyes that widened. His heart pumped so hard and fast that he was trying to keep distance between his chest and her body. He didn't want her to know he was feeling… something he couldn't understand and, probably, he can't tell her His heart pumped so hard and fast that he was trying to keep distance between his chest and her body. He didn't want her to know he was feeling… something he couldn't understand and, probably, he can't tell her _yet_.

He pulled away, trying to look he did it as normal as he could and hoped she doesn't misunderstand it as rudeness. They looked into each other's eyes before sitting down. A waiter went to them and gave them a glass of water. And like before, Rapunzel emptied it in a few seconds. He smirked. She was tired from all that effort in dancing as best as she could, he thought. She totally deserved that glass of water. Unknown to him, she was smiling at him. When he noticed, his smirk disappeared.

"What?" he asked.

She giggled, "What's with the face?" she asked.

"What face?" he asked back.

She imitated how he smirked and continued smiling at him teasingly, "Well?"

Jack rolled his eyes away to avoid eye contact. He looked at the crowd of people surrounding the group of dancers. He didn't speak. After all, what was he going to say as an excuse? He just felt like it? Rapunzel tugged on his coat, "Do you want to watch them?" she asked then he shook his head. There was silence between them again. Rapunzel played with her hair while looking at the table, "Hey, Jack…" she called then he looked at her. Her cheeks were now a darker shade than pink. He raised a brow at her when she was quiet.

She looked at him with her eyes then back at the table, "What do you think of my… outfit?" she finally asked.

He sighed a bit and smiled at her, "Beautiful."

Her lips curved upward and her fingers fiddled with her hair faster. She wanted to squeal so badly but she couldn't so all her squealing power went to her cheeks instead and made her whole face totally red. She could feel that he was looking at her so she wanted to turn away but he might misunderstand her actions so she just bowed down, trying to hide her face with her hair.

On the other hand, Jack was confused. He doesn't know why she was acting that way. He tried to lean his face forward so he could take a closer look if there was something wrong. He got a bit worried because of the way she reacted to his answer so he placed a hand on her back to make her look at him or talk to him.

Rapunzel turned her head and to both of their surprise, their faces were only four inches away from each other. Both of their eyes widened and their breaths held. They stayed in that position for almost ten seconds until both of them realized they were awkwardly looking at each other and immediately leaned and looked away from each other. Another awkward silence invades them. They wanted to break the silence but what were they going to say? Luckily, someone came to their table to break the silence _but, _a certain someone didn't like _his_ presence.

"Hey, Punz!" Jonathan smiled at her then glanced at Jack, "Who's he?"

Rapunzel smiled back at him, "This is Jack. He's… a new student."

The boy only nodded at her and waved at Jack, "Welcome to CU!" he said warmly but it made Jack frown a _bit._

Jack only nodded at him and gave a one sided smile, trying to stop his feeling of jealousy. _I am not jealous, _he told himself. He finally looked at the boy and managed to speak to him, "Thanks."

"By the way, I'm Jonathan."

He forced a smile, again, "Rapunzel's dance partner, right?" he said with a bit of sarcasm but neither Jonathan nor Rapunzel were able to sense it. The boy nodded.

Rapunzel looked at Jonathan, "What brings you here? Don't you have a date?"

The blue haired boy laughed, "Yeah, supposedly but she's busy flirting with some of the team members…" he grinned at her, "Not that I care though." He added then sat at the empty chair in front of them, "She actually annoys me. She's so vein!" he laughed again.

Rapunzel slammed the table with her palm in agreement, leaned forward and said, "I know, right!? She's a…" she trailed off because she didn't know what to say. But Jack continued it for her.

"…Bloody self-absorbed suck-up make-up whore with no evidence of self-decency and lacks brain cells to even process disagreement."

The two only stared at him in amazement. He glanced at them, back and forth before blinking, "What?" he asked. A few seconds later, the two laughed hard, so hard that their voices almost stood out from the noise.

"That is so accurate!" Jonathan said in-between laughs.

Rapunzel gave Jack a good-job pat over the shoulder and grinned at him, "How did you know that?"

Jack pointed at a certain red head, "Just look at her." He said. They looked at the red head who was currently flirting with the players of the university's basketball team. She was also hugging one guy's arm tight. "Does that look a least bit decent to you? No. That's a sign she's a school-skank slash attention-whore." He said. The sight of the girl made him shiver and his left brow twitch.

They stared at the girl. Jonathan sighed, "Ruby's…"

Rapunzel frowned, "…unbelievable."

Jack looked at the two of them, "Her name's Ruby?" he asked and they nodded at him.

"That girl," Rapunzel started, "has a _thing_ for good-looking men…"

Jonathan rolled his eyes with sarcasm, "Please, let's not talk about her."

"But how come you accepted her offer as her date?" She asked.

He blinked twice, "I didn't. I came here alone and when she saw me, she and her flies surrounded me." He laughed, "I denied her three times but she acts as if didn't hear anything."

A waiter came to them and gave them glasses of water. Jack took his glass and was about to drink when Jonathan spoke, "Cheers to tolerance!" he laughed. Rapunzel laughed along with him while Jack only smirked, "Cheers!" they said and drank.

Jack looked at his glass. _Maybe I thought wrong, _he told himself. Maybe Jonathan wasn't after Rapunzel. The guy doesn't even show enough motive that he does. Sure they talk but they're like close cousins or siblings. He smiled at the realization. _At least I won't have to worry when she's around him, _he thought. They were having fun talking to each other about random things, transitioning their topics smoothly and laughing at some life incidents they had, but of course, Jack could only tell a few and modified a few parts because his previous life was a long time ago. It was Rapunzel's turn to tell a story but Ruby interrupted them by hugging Jonathan. All three of them almost cringed, especially Jonathan.

"Hey, honey, why are you here? I was looking everywhere for you!" she said, obviously faking the worried tone.

Rapunzel sighed and rolled her eyes while Jack scratched the back of his head and, as for Jonathan, he had a poker-face. He inhaled deeply before unwrapping the girl's arms around him. _Sure you were, _he thought with sarcasm. He twisted his body, looked at Ruby and tried to smile, "I'm just talking here with Rapunzel and Jack."

Ruby looked at the two but when her eyes laid on Jack, her expression changed from I-don't-care to You-look-handsome and then looked back at her 'date', "Oh, so Jack is his name…" she mumbled. She grinned at Jonathan but her eyes immediately looked at Jack, "Does he have a date?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Obviously…" he mumbled to himself.

Jonathan also rolled his eyes, "He's with Rapunzel. It's not obvious, isn't it?" he said in sarcasm but coated it with a nice smile.

The red head nodded, "Yeah…" she said as she turned her head slowly to Rapunzel, "It's not obvious." She said and smirked at her.

_Can't you get any dumber?, _Rapunzel's mind growled.

"Can Jack and I have a dance, sweetie?" she asked Jonathan sweetly. The trio's eyes widened. Jack and Rapunzel glanced at each other then looked at Jonathan who had the look of bored-to-death. When he didn't reply, Ruby shook him violently. He didn't want to say 'yes' because he knew that either or both Rapunzel and Jack will get hurt but, his dear life was hanging on the edge of a thread that he almost said yes but he still held on.

"Why don't _we_ dance? Jack and Rapunzel still have some…things to do." He said, pushing the girl away from them.

Ruby was arguing with him but he ignored it. He looked back at the pair and winked as if he was telling them to enjoy the night to themselves. The two disappeared into the crowd and left Jack and Rapunzel staring into the distance. Rapunzel gave a pout, "Aw…" Now that one of them was gone, they felt kind of bad but Jack knew he felt worse than her. He doubted the guy and wanted to hit himself for it. He mentally scolded himself for being paranoid. Meanwhile, Rapunzel noticed his unusual silence and blank staring so she gave him a nudge and smiled at him when he looked at her.

"Want to get dinner?"

He smiled and nodded, "Sure." He stood up, went to her and gave her a hand to stand up.

They went to the buffet table. Jack held the plates while Rapunzel placed the food on it. They had almost everything and the dress didn't hold back Rapunzel. They went back to their table, sat opposite of each other and started to eat. Again, Jack was so fast with eating that it only took him less than fifteen minutes to eat all of it while Rapunzel was only able to accomplish half.

She looked at him and chuckled, "You eat _really_ fast."

_She noticed, _he thought and looked away from her, "I'm just very hungry."

"Every time we eat?" she asked.

He nodded shyly but he was trying to hide it, "I haven't eaten good food for a long time."

It made her smile brightly at him, "Then I'll make you more delicious food!"

He only nodded again and swallowed. Rapunzel took her time eating the rest of her food, which took ten more minutes and the waiter nearby asked to get their plates so it could be cleaned up. Jack leaned his elbows on the table and placed his chin on his palm and watched the people dancing on the dance floor. The lights were flickering and spotlights of different colors swirled and circled the place. The tent looked like it's a disco club now. He looked at Rapunzel who was smiling at him, "What?" he asked. She shook her head, "Wanna dance?"

He shook his head, "No. I don't know how to dance."

She didn't want to force him so she only nodded and left with her friends who were coming towards their table and pushed her to the edge of the crowd. They started dancing and laughing. He only watched from his seat and was given another glass of water. He took a sip from his glass and continued to watch them. _So this is what a party is like, _he told himself. Obviously, he never went to one but he saw a few examples of parties in televisions whenever he passed by windows around Jamie's neighborhood. He smiled at the memory back in Burgess.

He and Jamie would build snowmen together and after that, have a snowball fight. Jamie's friends would eventually join and then they would play hide and seek and, sometimes, sneak out to sit on a random house's roof and wait for the stars to come out. He missed playing with his friends and smiled down at the glass. Having friends was such an experience to him—especially _her._ Jamie was close to him but Rapunzel was close to him in a different sense he couldn't understand. He felt throbbing in his chest but it wasn't painful. It felt like he ate so many bars of chocolate that made his heart so hyper. He tried to shake the feeling but whenever Rapunzel's name appeared in his mind, it throbs again. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Rapunzel calling him.

"Jack! Are you okay?" she asked, leaning down at him.

He looked up and their eyes met, "Huh? What?"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked again.

He shook his head, "I'm fine. What is it?" he asked, calming his nerves.

Rapunzel moved a chair in-between them and sat on it, "Nothing…" she said and looked back at the dance floor. Couples were now dancing slowly and the lights stopped moving and dimmed a bit to set the mood.

Jack looked at where she was looking at and thought she was looking at someone but he eventually realized that she was looking at the couples who were dancing. _Maybe she wants to dance, _he thought so he stood up and gulped a bit. He gathered all his courage, inhaled and held out his hand to her. He tried his best to look as casual as he could and hid the nervousness underneath his cool smile, "Let's dance."

She looked up at him, a bit confused but took his hand anyway. They went to the middle of the crowd. Before they dance, Jack was staring down at her, "I don't know how to do this." He admitted. She chuckled, "Just put your right hand on my waist and use the other to hold mine." She said as she placed his hand on her waist and placed her hand on his shoulder and their free hands to each other. They started to sway slowly to the tune of the new music played—It's Gonna Be (Love) by Mandy Moore. The two of them looked at the stage where the dj was supposed to be.

"I know this song." The two of them said in unison and looked at each other. They chuckled.

"It's a nice song." Jack smiled. She nodded in agreement, "I love the message it brings." She said and looked at him through his eyes.

"What message does it bring?"

"Well, for me, it says that hope for the best for the both of you, have courage and everything will be alright. Having a relationship might be hard but if it's you and that person you love so much, it's going to be all right. It's going to be you and that person loving each other, forever changing your lives for all eternity." She said and when she saw the expression he had, she blush, "T-that's just my interpretation. What about you?"

Jack laughed after a short moment of silence, "I don't have an interpretation of the song, honestly."

She tilted her head, "Why is that?"

"I haven't really fallen in love with anyone my entire life, really." He shook his head in disbelief with himself.

Her eyes widened, "Really? You haven't?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I guess I'm dumb and numb in the sense of love and relationships, so yeah." He grinned teasingly, "I guess you're an expert with love, hearing all that interpretation coming from you."

She blushed, "I'm not an expert." She laughed at herself, "I only have one ex-boyfriend."

He was only joking but she answered him and it honestly surprised him.

_She's had a boyfriend?_

**End of Chapter**

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**Okay, so... I don't need to further explain who Eugene **_**is**_** right? Everyone knows him so, all I have to do is explain what happened to them. :3**

**I'm sorry for the late upload by the way -_- school is being a hassle…**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	11. The Christmas Eve Dinner

**Thanks so much for all your support! :D pumped up for this chapter!**

**FrozenLanterns: I was planning to make Jonathan the 'bad dude' but I thought it was always the plot so I thought I should make a twist in the story. Someone/something else would be the problem. :D**

**Angelofimagination4: D'aww 3 thank you! I feel loved xD Yes, I'll try to update almost every day as best as I can but I can't promise that there will be new chapters every single day. Two to three days of delay might happen. Thank you for the favorite and the follow :D**

**Oh, by the way guys, I was thinking of making a new long-shot Jackunzel and Mericup story. XD it involves college again (yes, again, because that's what I'm good at since I'm in college for two years already). I was also thinking about Jack and Rapunzel as close (not best) friends. Tell me what you think about that idea. xD I might spoil the rest if you guys think it's fine because I might put it up even while I'm doing this long-shot **** That's all!**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 11: The Christmas Eve Dinner**

Rapunzel looked up at him. She was a bit nervous after saying she had a boyfriend because of the expression he has. Not that it was serious or bad, his brows kind of furrowed and it made her worry. He might think she's _different_. She dismissed the bad thoughts and tried to smile and thought of changing the topic but Jack asked her the question she wanted to avoid hearing.

"Why did you guys break up?"

Her lips tightened. She wanted not to answer but _it's Jack._ She couldn't keep a secret from him—except for having a huge crush on him of course. She exhaled through her nostrils, "It's a dumb reason actually…" She tried keeping eye contact with him but she couldn't. He stared at her still, "It's still a reason nonetheless. So, what was it?" He said. Her heart skipped a beat and she held her breath, "We broke up because I had to move here. We both thought that we'll be able to move on and live separate lives." She smiled sadly.

For Jack, it was painful to hear those words. He could feel her pain and sorrow—not to mention that lingering sound of her regret to their break up. He averted his gaze from her and frowned slightly, "You guys could have just had a long distance relationship…" he murmured, loud enough for Rapunzel to hear.

"He wanted to at first but then he thought about it. He told me that I might find someone else here and that he might be able to move on and see someone." She swallowed the pain threatening to make her tears fall down but then, she smiled but her smile was of a mourning wife, "You know what? He was right. I got new from my friends back in Germany that he had a new girlfriend last year."

He gave her a look that summarizes his hatred for this man. It made her laugh a bit, "I'm over it! I moved on but I never really liked a guy after him…" she murmured and looked down at their feet. _Until I met you, _she smiled at herself. Jack released a small sigh. He felt his chest tighten and a 'falling' feeling from his heart. He didn't know what to think, what to express, what to show, what to say and what to do. He was confused with everything. He wished he hadn't met her but at the same time he was glad he did. But the feeling in his chest, it felt undeniably heavy and painful that he wanted to be alone and yet he wanted to stay with her. He wished that _that moment _could last forever. It was just him and her, dancing in the middle of the dance floor, holding each other closely.

"But you know what? I'm happy we broke up." she said that made him look at her with a bit of surprise. He gave her a puzzled look that made her grin at him, "I feel free and happy. And come on! There are still a lot of guys out there, right?" she said but in her mind, she was only referring to him. _Is this still a crush?... It can't be love, can it?, _she asked herself. Jack could only sigh again and nod, faking a small smile. _It really hurts._

The two of them decided to stay fifteen more minutes and went home. They were both so tired that they almost didn't care where they left their shoes and clothes but Jack had to keep her parents' room clean so he took the suit and went to her room and placed it in the laundry basket. Rapunzel was done with washing her face and brushing her teeth so she and Jack switched places—he went in the bathroom to clean up while she dressed in her pajamas. She sat on her bed and looked at the calendar on the wall. It was already the 24th of December. She bit her lower lip and frowned, _I still haven't bought my gift for him, _she thought. When Jack came out, she decided she should buy her gift later that morning while he was still sleeping. Because it was Christmas Eve, the malls were open earlier than usual.

When Rapunzel woke up, she quietly moved around the house as to not wake him up. She went to the mall and bought him a dozen tops and a dozen bottoms because it was Christmas Eve sale. She was so happy that she even bought him two pairs of shoes and went to the gift wrapping counter and asked to wrap them all up. She carried two plastic bags with a total of six wrapped gifts. She sat on the stairs of the mall and, with the use of a marker, she wrote his name on the wrapper. When she got home, Jack was still asleep or was still taking a shower. She placed the gifts under the tree and toasted a few slices of bread. She grabbed the butter and placed it on the table just when she heard his footsteps. She greeted him by the sight of his figure.

"Good morning!" she said happily.

He smiled and raked his hair with his fingers, "Good morning, Goldilocks."

The two of them sat down by the table and ate their breakfast. Jack noticed there were no glasses on the table so he, with his teeth clenching on the corner of the toast, got them and grabbed the pitcher of juice in the fridge. He sat back down and munched on the toast, "What do you plan on doing today?" he asked.

"I was planning on buying food for dinner tonight. You know," she looked at him, "Special dinner for tonight."

"Aren't you parents coming home?"

She looked at her toast, "No…" she said. She was used to it but she was still sad. The only time she experienced having Christmas with them was when she was still in elementary school up until she turned fifteen. After that, she spent Christmas and New Year alone, watching DVD's or painting in her room. "They're busy with work." She smiled at him but he saw loneliness in her eyes.

Jack stared at the butter knife and saw his reflection. He ranted in his mind, trying to find ways of making her happy during Christmas day. After a moment of rummaging, he had an idea. He smiled at her, "Do you want to spend Christmas with me and my friends?"

Rapunzel's eyes shimmered, "You mean, with the other mythical beings?" she asked, surprised. He nodded. Her mouth opened and she let out a happy squeal, "Yes, Jack!" she said, almost standing up from her seat. She looked at the table and her expression change from happy to serious-thinking-business, "I should make dinner really special. Should I make macaroni salad or fruit salad? I need to buy more chocolates and candies. Oh, what am I going to cook?" she looked up at him.

He laughed, "Calm down, Goldilocks. I'm sure you're going to whip up a badass dinner."

"I still have to buy the raw ingredients!" she panicked, pulling on her hair. "I'm gonna go to the grocery store." She decided and grabbed her bag again and headed outside but Jack stopped her.

"Hey, hey! Hold on! I'm coming with you!" he stood up and ran after her.

Who knew that what he called a 'badass dinner' would take a while to shop for. He leaned down on the pushcart, waiting for her to decide whether she should buy the turkey or the chicken. After a while, she decided on the turkey and placed it on the cart. They went around and around the grocery store and almost filled the cart with food and drinks. She was obviously excited and nervous at the same time. After all, it was going to be her first time meeting his guardian friends. They had a total of twenty plastic bags. Jack expected more but he was happy it was only twenty. They carried five plastics in each hand and took a cab home. Rapunzel insisted to stay home and he told her he'd go meet his friends and tell them.

First, he went to North Pole. Like what North always was, he was jolly and happily accepted the invitation. Although, they agreed that he should come _after_ giving presents. Next, he went to the Tooth Palace. Tooth was so excited and she fluttered around, wondering what gift she should give them both but Jack shook his head and said that he doesn't really need the gift. Knowing tooth will give something connected to teeth, Jack told Tooth that Rapunzel likes painting. Tooth nodded and knew what she was going to give so Jack went to Warren next. He and Bunnymund exchanged insults before even getting to the topic. When he invited him, Bunny snickered at him again and teased him. Again, they threw insults at each other. Before Jack left the Warren, he threw a snowball on Bunny's head that made the Pooka curse him. Jack being himself, he only laughed at it and went to Sandy's place—The Island of the Sleepy Sands.

He only came to the place once. Sandman's home was a shooting star that fell on Earth that instead of creating a hole, it became an island made of golden sand. It was no ordinary island though. This island had long tendrils of land that spiral from the center. It had several dunes and in the center of the dunes is where Sandy can be seen. Like Sandy, the island was sparkling but no human has ever seen the island before. Jack landed, he saw Sandy's ship and went in. He saw Sandy making statues out of sand. He told Sandy of Rapunzel's Christmas dinner and the little guy nodded but he conjured an image above his head that says he still had to make dreams for the children in the other parts of the world.

"Alright. We'll just wait for you in Corona. You know where Rapunzel's house is right?" Jack asked.

Sandy was going to nod but then he shook his head.

"Do you have a map of Corona?"

He nodded and made a map out of sand. Jack pointed where Rapunzel's house was. Sandy gave him a thumbs up, meaning he got it and waved at him when he motioned to fly. Jack waved before fully flying back to Corona. But the sight of his previous home made him stop. He landed on the frozen lake before flying again to Jamie's house. Jack decided to play with them for a little while before going back to Corona.

"Jack, why didn't you come here?" Jamie asked him.

He frowned at himself then looked at Jamie, "I'm sorry about that. I really am.. It's just that… I'm staying in this girl's house in Corona." He said, trying not to make it sound like there was something between them. _There really isn't __**anything, **_he thought.

Instead of Jamie frowning, his expression brightened, "You have a girlfriend!?"

Jack scratched the back of his head and looked at the ground, "N-no… She's not my girlfriend."

"But you _do_ like her, right?" the boy asked him.

It made him tighten his lips. He wanted to laugh at what was happening to him. Everyone assumes Rapunzel was his girlfriend. A part of him wanted to make a victory laugh and the other part just wanted to keep quiet and then blush about the accusation. Okay, maybe a part of him wanted it to be true but, again, his pride got in the way… until his tongue slipped.

"Yeah, kind of." He said and it made the both of them surprised. "Anyway, I have to go. She's waiting for me… And don't tell anyone, okay?"

Jamie grinned and nodded, "I won't!"

He grinned back and waved goodbye then went back to Rapunzel's house. He helped her prepare the house. While she cooked, he decorated the entire house with Christmas lights, Christmas balls and of course, garland. To add design, he made snow on the window sill and made small snowmen on it. By 7 p.m., Rapunzel finished placing all the food on the table and dressed herself with a pink long-sleeved dress and braided a portion of her hair.

"Jack, get dressed up!" she called him as she placed clothes on her bed. Not too long, she heard Jack's footsteps banging on the stairs. She went out the room and checked the food and every place in her house. She went back to the dining room and smiled at her work. There was turkey in the middle, macaroni and fruit salad beside it and some other dishes spread across the table. The doorbell rang and it made Rapunzel jump in excitement. She wondered who it was as she hurried to the door. She turned the knob and open and it.

"Hello! Is this Rapunzel's residence? I'm kind of lost and thought I followed the wrong map so…" Tooth chirped excitedly.

Rapunzel flustered and grinned, "Yes and I'm Rapunzel! You must be Tooth Fairy."

Tooth leaned down to her and nodded, "That's me!" she said and saw Rapunzel's teeth. It wasn't perfect but it was white, close to the whiteness of Jack's teeth. "Nice teeth!" she said.

Rapunzel was startled but smiled, "Thank you! Please, come in!" she stepped aside and let her in. Tooth flew in further to her house. She led her to the living room and sat on the couch.

"Where's Jack?" Tooth asked.

"Oh, he's changing. He'll be down soon." She smiled at the fairy. They had a conversation for a bit until Jack came rushing down.

"I heard the doorbell ring. Who was it?" Jack said and went to the living room. He saw the two girls looking at his direction. He grinned, "Hey Tooth!"

"Hello Jack!" Tooth waved at him and scanned his outfit. He was wearing a red sweater and jeans. "You look charming." She grinned at him.

"Well it's all thanks to Goldilocks here." He said and sat down beside Rapunzel. The three of them talked for a while. The next doorbell rang not until fifteen minutes later. Rapunzel got up and opened the door. She was surprised when she saw a big furry 'rabbit', standing on its two hind legs and it was almost as tall as her door.

"Um, hello. You must be Bunnymund." She squeaked. The Pooka looked terrifying, looking down at her like that but hearing the sound of his name said by a sweet voice made him smile.

"Yeah, that's me. Ye' must be Rapunzel." He said, Australian accent clear. She nodded and smiled at him, "Please come in! Jack and Tooth are in the living room." She said and led Bunny to them. Tooth and Bunny placed their gifts under the Christmas tree.

"Nice place ye have here, Sheila." Bunnymund scanned the room. It was well decorated.

Rapunzel placed the tray of juice on the glass table in the middle of the couches and smiled at him, "Thank you but Jack decorated the house."

Bunny and Tooth looked at Jack who was already drinking his glass of juice.

"This punk here made this?" Bunny looked at Rapunzel, raised a brow and pointed his thumb at Jack.

Jack glared at him while Tooth laughed. Rapunzel looked at Jack then at Bunny. She nodded, "Yes, he did." She blinked. Jack was still glaring at the Pooka but Bunny turned his head to look at him and smirked at him, "Nice, nice…"

Tooth knew there was war going to happen so she cleared her throat, "Do you have karaoke, Rapunzel?"

The blond nodded, smiling and turned on the television, the speakers and the karaoke. Tooth was squealing excitedly. The two boys looked at her with a is-she-serious look and looked at Rapunzel who was handing the fairy one of the microphones and the song book. Tooth flipped through the pages and saw a song she liked.

"How do I do this?" she asked. Rapunzel went to her taught her what to do, "Press the numbers then press 'play'." She smiled at her. As soon as Tooth, pressed enter, the introduction of the song Your Love is My Drug was played. She squealed excitedly and started to sing the lyrics. Rapunzel clapped to the beat. The boys just stared at them. She looked at them and made a movement that seemed like she was telling them to clap along. Because they didn't want to argue, they just joined. They exchanged turns, getting happier and more exciting every time someone sang. Rapunzel's dishes got cold so she stored them in a heater to keep the food fresh and warm. They were all having a great time and were singing loud and happy songs and they were almost screaming the lyrics. An hour and a half later, the doorbell rang again. Rapunzel went and opened the door, revealing Sandy and North.

"Is this Rapunzel Sonne's residence?" North asked with his usual Russian accent, which surprised her a bit. Sandy frowned and nudged him. "We should be sure, Sandy" North shrugged.

Rapunzel smiled, "Yes and I'm Rapunzel! Welcome! Please come in! The others are in the living room, having fun with karaoke." She said and led them to the living room. Tooth was holding one mic and Bunny was holding the other. They were singing 'Especially for You' by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. Jack was sitting on the couch while drinking Sprite.

"Ah, there you are!" North said with open arms.

"North! Sandy!" Jack called, "You guys are early." He smirked.

"We didn't want to keep Rapunzel waiting so we hurried." North smiled and Sandy nodded, smiling at him.

Jack seemed like he was forgetting something or rather someone. He turned to Tooth who was already done singing, "Where's Baby Tooth?" he asked.

Tooth giggled, "Oh, she's on her way. She said she wanted to give you something."

Jack chuckled. Baby Tooth was almost like his shoulder pet, almost never leaving him. They heard a knock on the window. Tooth laughed, "Speaking of the fairy, she's here." She said and opened the window to let Baby Tooth in. The small fairy flew her way in, carrying a small present with her hands. It was as big as her head. She landed on the table and hugged Jack's cheek and rubbed her cheek on it. Rapunzel and Tooth made an "aww."

"Hello, Baby Tooth!" Jack greeted. Baby Tooth squeaked, saying she missed him. He smiled, "I missed you too."

She got her present and placed it under the Christmas tree and the action reminded North of something. "Oh! I forgot!" he said loudly and went to his sleigh, which was just on the roof. They were confused by his actions. When North came back, he was carrying a sack of presents and placed all of it under the Christmas tree. "Everyone has a gift!" he said happily.

"Even the one person who holds the record of the naughty list?" Jack smirked at him.

They stared at him. North laughed, "We overlook again."

Rapunzel smiled at all of them, "I have prepared the food!" she said.

They all went to the dining room and saw the food she cooked. Their expressions brightened. The smell and the look was just so delicious that they wasted no time on sitting down. Rapunzel sat at the middle, Jack on her right and Tooth on her left. Beside Tooth was Bunny and opposite him was Sandy and at the other end was North. Baby Tooth sat on Jack's shoulder.

"Dig in!" Rapunzel grinned at them.

They all passed on the food and conversed while having a conversation. Like in the Christmas Party, they talked about some unforgettable life incidents and laughed at the funniest ones. When it was Bunnymund's story, Jack would make a joke out of it and vice versa. Once or twice, their jokes threatened a food fight but luckily, Tooth and Sandy calmed them down. The clock strikes midnight and everyone greeted each other Merry Christmas. As soon as they all finished eating, they went to the living room again and got their presents.

North hosted the gift giving. He grabbed a gift, "Rapunzel, this is for you." He smiled and gave a rectangular gift to her. She opened it and her eyes widened when she saw it was a set of six 20 inch canvas. "Oh my…" she murmured and grabbed the wrapper and saw it was from North himself.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

North grinned, "Ah, but it doesn't end there." He said and gave the rest their gifts.

Jack got another blue hoodie, only this time, it was a lighter shade of blue. Tooth got her desired set of beautiful sparkling teeth that he asked her fairies to get for him. Bunnymund got new boomerangs and holsters while Sandy got a small figurine he said he wanted for his collection.

"Rapunzel," North called, "This is for you. From…"

"Me!" Tooth squealed.

Rapunzel took it and opened it. Her eyes sparkled, "Colored pencils! I love it! Thank you!" she said happily. It was a whole set of different variants of colors. Tooth grinned at her, "It's made from the material my palace was also made of. When you apply the color, it will sparkle!" The information made her more excited and wanted to try it out as soon as she could.

North got another present and it came from Bunnymund, "This from Bunny." He said and passed the present to her. She opened it and saw a lot of jars of paint. "Thank you so much!" she said, staring at the paints.

"Those are no ordinary paints, Sheila. Those are paints that can glimmer too. I use those to paint the eggs." Bunny smirked.

Sandy gave his present to her personally and smiled. It was a small container with golden sand it in. There was a note tied around it. "Use it when you can't sleep." Rapunzel read and looked at him, "Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you, Sandman!" Sandy smiled and bowed to her.

North grabbed another present, "These—" he grinned, "—are from Jack."

Everyone but Rapunzel grinned at Jack. She looked at him, with her mouth slightly open. _The rest were from him?, _she thought. She smiled, "Thank you Jack."

Jack arched a brow, "But you haven't even opened one."

She chuckled, got one and opened it. Her eyes widened and she looked at him. _It was the skirt she wanted—even better! _"Jack… I… I…" she stammered. She didn't know what to tell him. She picked up the skirt and saw another color of the skirt. She found out that there were four more skirts with different colors. She looked at him again, "Thank you so much!" and hugged him then grabbed her present for him.

Jack looked at her then at the present. He opened it and his eyes widened but softened.

"It's not much but I hope you like it." she said shyly.

He looked at her, "You shouldn't have, Goldilocks. You already gave me a lot." He glanced at the gift then back at her, "Thank you." He wore the blue converse with the same shade as his hoodie. It had a customization to it. 'Jack Frost' was written on the sides with snowflake designs around it. He was going to wear it on his first day.

"Well, that settles it then!" North said but Baby Tooth squeaked madly. "Oh, right. You still have gift for Jack."

Baby Tooth nodded and gave her present to him. Jack opened the tiny gift and saw a hand-made keychain plushie of him. He grinned, "Thank you, Baby Tooth. I'm sorry I don't have a present for you." He said. She squeaked, telling him it was okay.

"Thank you for the wonderful evening." Tooth smiled and gave Rapunzel and Jack hugs. The others thanked them also and left with their own separate ways.

Now it was just the two of them…

**End of Chapter**

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**This is the longest chapter I have done, more than 4000 words! :o gaassp. Thank you for the support again and please do not forget to tell me about your thoughts on my plans on making another long-shot Jackunzel and Mericup fic! **

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	12. Jack's First Day

**ANNOUNCEMENT: I have seen something in youtube about a petition for the Big Four. It needs a thousand signatures but I don't know if it'll work. I searched it on Google. It's from .com. I really don't know… I planned on emailing even at least one of the leading directors of each movie to tell him that we, the fans, appreciate their work and tell them about our 'fetish' about their collaboration to make an ultimate movie. I know it wouldn't work but at least we're able to tell one of them (and I'm hoping you guys can help me get in contact with them).**

**I also made a forum under Tangled about ROTBTD. You guys can share it to your friends. I'll be posting there.**

**Bluemangosmoothie: D'aww. I hate it when my iPod does the same D: but I'm glad you managed to finish chapter 11! Hurray!**

**FrozenLanterns: Thank you! I already planned the Jackunzel and Mericcup last night after posting chapter 11. I made for to five possible plots but I'm not sure what plot I should follow. I still need a second and third opinion so, if you want, I will PM you the plots :D**

**AngelofImagination4: Thank you! :D I thought the last chapter was boring D: But I'm happy you and my other readers enjoyed it :D**

**Readers, thank you for appreciating the last chapter! Here is the next one :D**

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**Chapter 12: Jack's First Day**

They stood there, looking at the already closed door. Silence was threatening to pierce through their eardrums as a light static ping sound start to form itself. Deafening silence took over. Both of them held their breaths until the near-dying-need to release the toxic from their lungs. Rapunzel exhaled as quietly as she could and looked at him. She swallowed and smiled, "I got more presents for you." she said, trying to sound excited. She was nervous for some reason she couldn't pin point. Jack in turn, looked at her and grinned, "I got more for you too." Then, they raced back to the living room. They came to the room at the same time and exchanged gifts. They opened the presents.

Jack was happy when he opened the presents she gave him. It was all clothes with different shades of blue. He looked at her, his eyes glimmering like the water under the moonlight, "How did you know blue's my favorite color?"

She laughed, "I made a guess and assumed it _was _your favorite colorbecause of your hoodie."

His eyes still glimmering, he stared at the three-quartered sleeved shirt in his hands and smiled. Then, he grabbed one of his presents for her and passed it to her. She looked at it, guessing what was inside the box that was slightly bigger than her hand then looked at him. He just smiled at her, his expression telling her that she should open and see what was inside. She unwrapped the box excitedly and to her surprise, it was a Victorian style box. She marveled at the etchings and engravings on it. On the foldable lid was her name engraved in Victorian style lettering. She opened it and saw that it was a jewelry box not because it had a mirror but there were jewelry in it—a whole set of diamond pieces. Her breath left her when she saw the set. She looked up at him.

"Oh, Jack! Where did you get these?" she asked, holding up the diamond necklace.

Jack chuckled, "North has a way of getting them from the mines in North Pole. He made them himself."

"These are wonderful!" she said, placing back the necklace and then closed the box.

He grabbed another gift, "I actually didn't know what to give you so I asked North about things to give you." He laughed at the memory and looked at her, "Remember when I said I had to go to North Pole at 7 p.m. the other day?" he arched a brow and she nodded. He just stared at her as if he was making her swim to depths of her logic and find out herself. In a snap, she finally knew. "You mean you used that time to get me presents?" she asked with a hushed voice. He nodded.

Rapunzel felt her cheeks warm up. She knew she was turning as red as a tomato but she tried to suppress the joy her heart felt. Despite that she was alone the whole night, he was actually taking his time to find gifts for her—not to mention he was thinking about her. The realization made her cheeks fluster more that it made her look like she had a fever.

Jack, oblivious to what was happening to her, grabbed another present and gave it to her. It was a rectangular-ish box wrapped with red wrapping paper and was a bit heavy. She wondered what it was. After unwrapping, she opened the box from the bottom and took away the box. To her surprise, again, it was a beautiful snow globe and inside the globe was her and Jack making one big snowman. She looked at him. He was a bit red and was looking at the snow globe, horrified at what was inside the globe. She giggled and shook the snow globe and lifted it to eye-level. When the snow in the globe settled, she saw Jack's face. He was looking at her and she was looking at him. Rapunzel placed the snow globe on the floor but they continued to look at each other.

She smiled, "Thank you, Jack…"

He smiled back, "I still have three more presents for you." He said, grabbing her hand and giving her a necklace with a ring as the pendant.

She looked at it. Her name was engraved on it. "It's wonderful Jack!" she said then she looked back at the ring and saw something glisten on the inside. She turned the ring and saw his name just behind hers. She blushed, "T-thank you…" she continued to look down at the ring, avoiding to look at his eyes.

He scratched his head and looked to his side, "You're welcome…" he said and grabbed something from inside his shirt, and pulled it out for her to see. His face turned red, "I have the same as yours." He said and showed it to her. She saw his name at the front and when he turned it, she saw her name on the inside. "I figured, this could be our friendship necklace… or ring… You know, to have something the two of us have." He said, avoiding to look at her.

She was smiling at their necklaces and immediately wore it, "I will never take this off…_ever._" She grinned. Jack couldn't help but grin back, "Two more gifts left." He told her and held her hand, "Come on! I'll show you!" he said and helped her up to stand. They went outside and saw an igloo. Rapunzel squealed and ran to the igloo and went inside. He went after her. He hid his second present there, hoping she would like it. Just when he got inside, he heard her voice—she was squealing and giggling. He smiled at her. She was holding a really thick sketchpad with a set of pastels, paint brush and colorful markers.

"How did you know!?" she asked him happily.

He looked at her with a small smile, "I peeked in your sketchpad and saw it was going to be full soon so I thought getting you a new and thicker one would be nice." He said but when he saw that she wasn't smiling anymore, he panicked. "Now, don't get mad! I didn't-!" but before he could finished, Rapunzel already hugged him, which successfully made him close his mouth and widen his eyes. She hugged him so tight that he felt her warmness. His heart started to beat hard again and his stomach felt weird. As if his arms had a mind of its own, they moved around her waist and hugged her closer. When they pulled away, their faces were only a few inches away from each other. They smiled in unison and decided to go out of the igloo and go back inside.

They dusted off the snow from their clothes. Jack went to the living room again to collect the torn wrappers. Rapunzel looked at him with confusion, "So what's the third gift?" she asked, following him around the house when he didn't speak. She wondered what his last gift was. Maybe it was a canvas stand or maybe it was a palette. Maybe it was clothes too or hair decorations. She continued to follow him up until they got back to the living room. She tugged his sleeves, eager to know what it was.

"Jack? What's the last gift?" she asked excitedly.

He turned to face her but he wasn't smiling or grinning—he was just looking at her intently. Their eyes met and they were frozen in time. He went near her and hugged her. It was enough to shock her but that was just half the _blow! _When he kissed her forehead, she completely froze, holding her breath, her eyes wide and her mouth open. He pulled away from her and she looked up at him without changing her expression. She saw that he was smiling at her and it made her cheeks turn red again.

"Merry Christmas, Goldilocks." He said softly.

He thought he made her surprised but her actions surprised him more—she kissed him on the cheeks! His eyes widened and his mouth opened a bit. She pulled away "Merry Christmas, Jack." She smiled at him. His lips curved into a smile on its own. _Why do I keep doing that!?, _his mind asked in irritation. The two of them went to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess before going to bed.

For the entire week, they stayed indoors and spent the New Year having a date but of course, both of them are oblivious to that fact that it's a date. Although, Rapunzel's mind had the idea it was but she dismissed it. _It was only a friendly date, _she told herself. They also watched a movie and ate dinner before going home. They had a movie marathon of horror movies because they both agreed that watching romantic-comedy movies were too mainstream. They wanted suspense and thrill so they decided to watch Insidious. Rapunzel hugged his arm and tried to hide behind a pillow when it got very intense. On the other hand, Jack only grabbed a handful of popcorn and ate. He didn't mind her hugging his arm the entire movie. He actually _enjoyed _it. Although, there were times he got nervous—especially when he felt her lips press against his skin. After watching movies, they waited until the clock strikes midnight.

_12:00_

The two of them greeted each other a joyous "Happy New Year!". The entire week was spent on bonding with each other. They grew closer together that hugging wasn't a big problem anymore but it still made them freeze at some point. They spent time in the arcade, shopping for groceries and went to pass Jack's application form in CU. They viewed the results the next day and celebrated because Jack was going to join them the coming Monday. He applied for the same course as Rapunzel. Although, they weren't in the same class because he was a freshman and she was a sophomore. Rapunzel told him that he could join the arts club with her. He agreed and they both continued to makes plan for his first day. And when Monday came, Rapunzel accompanied him to his classroom.

"I'll be in the classroom at the other end of the hall, okay?" she said.

Jack was staring down at the floor. He was nervous and excited at the same time. She saw this through his eyes and, with the use of her fingers, she lifted his chin to look at her. She smiled gently, "It's going to be fine, Jack. Just be yourself." They shared a moment of silence as they stared into each other's eyes.

He sighed and gave her a pat, "I will." He said and went inside the room.

The door behind him closed and he started to walk towards the back row and sat on the third column from the back door. The room was a bit quiet. Only a group of two friends were talking and the rest were all staring at the whiteboard, waiting for the professor to come in. A few minutes later, a female teacher came in. She had long brown hair that waved from her neck to the tips and her eyes were the color of amethysts. She was wearing a grey colored jacket, jeans and boots. Now everyone was silent.

"Good morning class." She said as she scanned everyone, "I am Ms. Claire Peterson." She wrote on the whiteboard and faced the class, "Call me _Ms. Claire._" She smiled at them.

Jack tilted his head. The name was familiar. After a moment of rummaging in his memory bank, he remembered that she was the Arts club coordinator. He opened his notebook and wrote her name on the first page and next to it was the subject. Ms. Claire was his Literature teacher. He wondered what kind of teacher she was and what he was going to know in her subject. For the entire hour and a half, they were told to introduce themselves and when it was Jack's turn…

"You, at the back, you're next." Ms. Claire told him.

He gulped and stood up. Everyone had to introduce in front. He went and walked down the middle aisle with his head down, panicking in his mind what he was going to tell the class. He swallowed before jolting his head up and when he did, everyone was looking at him. He never felt so afraid and nervous because of people staring at him his entire life. He always wanted to be seen and get people's attention but now, he just wanted to be unseen again. He wanted to scoff at himself because of the sudden change of wanting attention. _Come on! Speak, damn it!, _he scolded himself in his brain.

He slowly opened his mouth, "I'm Jackson Overland…" he started and looked at everyone with his eyes and continued when no one was uttering a sound, "You can call me Jack. I'm… from Burgess."

"How old are you?" the professor asked.

He stiffened, "Eighteen…"

Ms. Claire looked at the class, "Do you guys want to know anything else about him?" she asked.

Most of the girls raised their hands. Jack's shoulders dropped when he saw them. _Oh no, _he thought.

Ms. Claire pointed at one sassy looking girl, "Yes, Ella?"

The girl called Ella stood up, twirling her hair with her finger, "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked with an arched brow. Everyone looked at him, especially the girls.

He gulped and held his breath, "…No." he said then some of the girls whispered to each other or to themselves about God-knows-what. Another girl raised her hand and Ms. Claire nodded at her.

The girl remained seated and looked at him with a smile, her chin on her palm, "What kind of girl do you like?"

He shivered, "I don't really know." He inhaled again and frowned in his mind, _Please stop asking questions!, _he screamed in his head.

Ms. Claire laughed. "Alright, alright, settle down, ladies. Give others their turn. You can ask him after introduction."

"But miss, he's the last one." Jack's seatmate said.

"Oh, well—" She shrugged and gave Jack an empty chair, "Sit down, Jack. You're going to need this." She grinned at him.

Jack sat on the chair and placed his left ankle on his right knee. Another girl raised her hand and spoke, "Do you like anyone in the classroom?" she asked confidently.

He arched a brow and didn't speak. _Man, they really want to know who I like?, _he thought and tightened his lips and shook his head lightly.

Some of the girls gave an "aww", sighing in defeat but some didn't give up. They still threw questions at him that he wanted to avoid because it was all about him and girls and relationships. He wished it was still Christmas vacation so he could spend more time with Rapunzel than the girls in his class. He sighed to himself.

_What am I going to do?_

**End of Chapter**

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**It ain't long but I hope it does the trick. Poor Jack xD! Oh well, I hope you liked it :D Don't forget to check out the poll in my profile or in my forum. If you want to tell your insights to the director, let's help each other to tell them how much we love their films and how much we wish they would collaborate! (Even though they really won't but at least they have this idea that a lot of us want it!) Let's all look at the moon and wait for it to tell us something! If it says anything, believe it! (Like what Jack said at the end of ROTG XD)**


	13. Admitted

**I'm back! I was planning a new Big Four crossover fanfic with dear FrozenLantern. Hopefully, I will release it soon. Cross-fingers! And I'M deciding to give you a little bit of happiness… JUST A LITTLE BIT XD**

**For the dear non-fanfiction-dot-net users, I'm sorry my anonymous review was toggled off -_- I could have sworn that I toggled it on before. But no worries, I toggled it back on!**

**FrozenLanterns: XD yeah he could have but his nervousness got in the way of thinking straight like "wth am I going to say" so he just blurted out what he could xDDD epic failure Jack is just epic fail.**

**AngelofImagination4: hahaha me too but I couldn't do that yet to them. It's too soon. But hey, here's the next chapter.**

**Lollipopqueen: D'aww thank you! :D I actually thought it sucked because it lacked scenes.**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 13: Admitted**

Jack looked down at his feet. He was trembling! His gaze shifted from the floor to Ms. Claire to his classmates then back at the floor. He swallowed. Centuries ago, before he became a guardian, whenever he and his sister would go out to pick some fruits, girls would come along to pick apples with them. They _always_ wanted the apple at the high branches and would always ask for his help. When he would give the apple, they would compliment him on how manly or how amazing he was. Him being himself, he would just shrug, smile and thank them then go back to their cottage in the village. He always had the feeling that the village girls liked to be around him _too much_ and that they would let him do stuff he didn't want. Not that he was rude or anything—he just doesn't like being told to do stuff. He hated responsibilities but when he met Rapunzel, it made him change. He wanted to help, to do stuff—some to impress her or to catch her attention—for her that can make her happy.

Ms. Claire has been staring at him. He looked familiar to her and tried to remember when she has seen him. Then she realized that he was the one who was dancing with Rapunzel, her triple-threat art student. She smiled at the memory of her students dancing together. It didn't worry her that an outsider was able to get in the exclusive school Christmas party—not one bit! Jack amuses her because he was able to dance with her _'untouchable'_ student. She knew that Rapunzel, although astoundingly nice, would not accept any date offer because she preferred to be alone, reading books or talking to her friends. Ms. Claire wondered what was in _him_ that made her accept a dance offer, and not just any dance too—it was a slow dance. She grinned as she looked at the girls who were still trying to bombard Jack questions he didn't want to answer.

"Alright class, settle down, settle down." She moved her hands in the air, motioning some of the girls to keep calm and sit down, "Jack, you may go back to your seat."

Jack didn't waste any time going back to his seat. He kept his head down until he sat down. The whole class continued. He concentrated looking at the board or at his notebook. He only had three classes but for him, it took forever to finish. He would gaze at the clock, listen to the professor then look back at the clock but only two minutes have passed. He almost went insane once or twice during his Psychology class. When it was History subject, he anxiously tapped his heel as he stared at the clock. But, he felt that the more he stared, the slower it got. He wrote notes in cursive because he was slow in writing in print. As he was writing, he planned his escape if ever his female classmates would go around him.

He impatiently frowned at the wall clock, _two minutes, _he thought as he fixed his things and zipped close his bag. When the bell rang, he stood up and turned but saw the girls at the back door so he turned for the front door and sped towards it, ignoring whoever he almost literally ran over. He successfully went out and headed to where Rapunzel said she was. It was already dismissal for some classes but some were still only in their first class. He walked casually so as to not catch attention but his _face_ and _hair_ already caught the attention of many for the reasons of one, his face was a new one for the old students; two, his hair spiked in a unique way that some boys wanted to imitate; three, he was just too god damn handsome.

When he got to the door of Rapunzel's classroom, it opened and a few girls went out who also looked at him. He stared at them, carefully looking at their moves if they were going to do anything that will violate his personal space. When he felt that they have no motive of 'harming' him, he looked back at the door, held it open and peeked. He saw Rapunzel fixing her things.

"Goldilocks!" he called, trying to sound normal. He was still anxious and nervous.

Rapunzel looked up and zipped her bag close, "Jack!" she smiled and ran to him and carried her backpack on one shoulder. She went out and closed the door, still looking at him, "How was your first three classes?"

He frowned a bit, "Fine…"

She raised a brow, "Then why is your face scrunched up like that?"

He stopped frowning and smiled, "Nothing."

She stopped walking, placed her hands on her hips and looked up at him with a oh-really-now look. He stopped ahead of her and laughed, "Ms. Claire is my Literature subject teacher."

"And?"

He rolled his eyes to the side, avoiding her look, "Most of the girls in my class went nuts on introduction…" he mumbled but she heard it. She grinned widely, stopping her laughter, "So you're going to be mister popular in a couple of days."

He frowned at her and said a firm and solid "No."

Rapunzel couldn't hold it so she giggled, "You _will!" _she continued to giggle. He almost made a pout. It made her laugh, "Aw, don't pout now, Jack. Come on, let's eat lunch!" she held him by his wrist and pulled him to the cafeteria.

When they got to the cafeteria, they saw that the almost all the tables were taken so they had to keep their eyes open for their target seats and raced towards it before anyone else got to it. They placed their bags on the table. Rapunzel was leaning forward with one hand on the back rest of the chair and another on the table while Jack was standing opposite of her, leaning on the table with the use of his hands. They looked around, looking for anything good to eat. The Corona University had diverse stalls for different cuisines. One side was for eastern cuisine and the other for western. They decided to try chicken curry.

Rapunzel got her wallet from the secret pocket of her bag, "You wait here." She smiled at him but he looked at her with hopelessness. _He was going to be alone again._ She chuckled, "Don't worry. I won't be long." She said and rushed to the counter. Once in a while, she would glance back at him to see if any girl was going to talk to him. _She did promise to help him. _When she saw no one was around him, she got a tray and ordered two plates of chicken curry. When she was done, she turned and was shocked to see a _lot_ of girls crowded around their table. She rushed to him, thinking about what the girls were doing to him and tried squeezing her way through but the food might spill so, she tried calling him.

"Jack! Jack!" she called, the sound of worry lingering in her voice. He didn't respond. She frowned and glared at the backs of the girls. _She had to distract them_ so, she whistled and when she caught their attention, he pointed by the exit, "Look! It's Jonathan!" she said loudly, almost shouting and immediately, the girls ran to the door, leaving Jack alone.

She placed down the tray on their table and looked at Jack, who looked exhausted and haggard. He smacked his palm on his face and slid it down, groaning, "I cannot survive another day like this, Goldilocks." He pulled his plate near him. She looked at him then at her food and kept quiet. She tried to think of ways on how she'll be able to help him avoid them. She rambled in her mind, searching for instances and events then, it struck her. _Maybe I could pull him along with me, _she thought. She wondered why the odds were always in her favour.

Jack noticed her sudden silence. He became worried and began to mentally scream bloody murder to himself. He growled inwardly, frowned at himself and decided to apologize but he saw her smiling at him as if she had an idea or a plan, "Jack, let's sign you up in my club after lunch!" He blinked and just nodded. She grinned at him widely before eating. They ate quickly and went to the Theatre Arts room and headed for the backstage. The other members were there, talking about some plans that were organized by their coordinator.

"Guys!" Rapunzel called as she waved her hand at them. They looked at her and smiled, "Oh hey, Punz!" Jenny greeted and looked at Jack, "Welcome to CU."

Jack smiled, "Thank you."

"So what brings you guys here?" she asked.

He glanced at Rapunzel who was already talking to Clarence. Jenny turned to the two and realized that they were talking about Jack's membership. She smiled at them and looked back at Jack, "You might want to sit down." She said and gave him a chair.

"Thanks." He grinned a bit and sat down. Not too long, Rapunzel gave him a form to fill up and she watched him fill it up. She smiled, "You really have a good penmanship. It looks as if it was printed!" she said and continued to watch him. Jack wasn't used to receiving compliments so he just kept quiet. He knew he should say 'thank you' but he didn't. When he finished, he gave it to Jenny. She and Clarence looked at the form. Their eyes widened a bit, "Man, awesome handwriting! It's like you're from a Shakespearean era or something!" Clarence said and looked up at him.

Jack's lips tightened but he smiled right after, "Thanks."

Jenny gave the paper to Clarence and looked at him, "According to what you wrote, you draw too?"

He nodded, "Yes but I'm not as good as _her._" He glanced at Rapunzel.

"Are you _kidding? _I think you drawings are more awesome than mine!" Rapunzel exclaimed, "You can draw on moist and frosted windows with no problem and you can draw on paper with a pen without _even_ having the slightest mistake!"

He froze, _Well that was because I always drew on windows before you could see me, _he thought. "But I can't paint and draw in realistic forms." He replied.

Clarence interrupted them, "Real or not—you still draw. And if you're as good as she says you are, we'll be able to give you a lot of _fun_ work." He grinned and gave him a pencil and paper.

Jack tightened his lips, "I'm not used to drawing with pen…" he said in a low voice.

"See? I told you." Rapunzel said as she handed him out a ball-tipped pen.

He sat down and started to draw a yeti and an elf carrying toys and gifts. When he finished, Jenny took the paper and looked at his drawing. She was amazed how simple it was yet it was clear how they look like. She, Clarence and Rapunzel looked at it, complimented how good it is and how his strokes were smooth. He just stared at them and couldn't help but hear the compliments. Jenny looked at him while the other two were still taking their time to grasp the creativity on the paper.

"Where did you get the idea of the style?" she asked.

Of course he couldn't tell her that _that's _what the yetis and elves really look like so he had to lie, "Random cartoon references…?" he said, unsure of what he just said. He hoped she wouldn't ask _which_ cartoons he used for reference because he won't be able to answer. The girl looked back at the drawing he made. She only nodded once or twice as if she understood what style he used or what styles he combined and gave it to Clarence.

"You're in." she said flatly.

_Just like that?, _he thought. Rapunzel gave him a good-job smack on the back, "Good job!" she grinned. He flinched from the smack and laughed a bit, "You didn't have to hit _too_ hard."

"Is everyone doing what I asked to do?" a voice echoed.

They looked at the door and saw Ms. Claire. They greeted her and introduced her to Jack but she just chuckled. "Ah, yes, Jack. We meet again."

"_Again?_" Clarence glanced at the coordinator and the new member repeatedly.

"Yes," Ms. Claire said firmly, "He's my student. He's rather popular in the classroom." She gave Jack a pat on the shoulder. Jack stiffened when he remembered the scene in her class and his face turned red.

"_And_ that popularity followed him to cafeteria, Miss!" Rapunzel said exasperatedly, "I swear, I didn't know what to do with them earlier."

Jenny crossed her arms, "I'm guessing they flocked around him…?"

She nodded, "Yeah and they wouldn't even budge! I had to yell Jonathan's name for them to leave."

Jack sighed a bit, "I thought I was going to die without seeing the sunset."

Rapunzel moved her hips so it would bump with his hips, "Don't say that!" she said with crossed arms.

Ms. Claire laughed a bit and glanced at Jenny and Clarence, "So, have you thought about the destination? I called all of them earlier. Spring Cabin and Picnic Grove are the only ones available though." She said as she placed the club organizer on a table and pointed at the two names.

The members, including Jack, surrounded her and looked at the organizer. Ms. Claire glanced at everyone, "So what do you choose?" she asked. Clarence looked at her, "We did a voting—Spring Cabin. The transportation would be the only problem, Miss, because the food will be mandatory." he said and crossed out the 'food' written on the organizer. The coordinator grinned knowingly, "I already took care of that. I asked my brother if he agrees to drive us all the way with his minibus and it turns out, he wanted to go there too."

The members cheered and only Jack was confused. He tapped Rapunzel's shoulder, "What are they talking about?" he asked.

She turned to him, "It's like a field trip but only for our club. We're going to visit art galleries, museums and even theatres."

Because he thought he wasn't tagging along, his expression darkened a bit, "Oh… So, when are you guys going back?" he asked.

Her eyes widened, "Don't you want to come along? You're part of the club now so you can come." She smiled. His heart skipped a beat. _Another adventure with __**her**__,_ he thought. He tried to hide his emerging happiness, "When would that be?" he asked.

"This weekend. We'll be gone for the whole week but don't worry. Miss will take care of the blue forms so we'll be excused." She smiled at him. "We're going to spend the whole week together!" she added happily.

Although the word 'together' didn't _exactly_ mean that it's him and her only but he just felt _so_ happy to be around her the entire week without girls flocking and asking him. He just wanted to be with her. If they only had the same classroom every day, he wouldn't mind being flocked or gawked at because she'll be there. He smiled at her, "You have any plans on what to prepare?"

She smiled back, "Of course I do! I already stocked food in the cabinet."

Since it was already dismissal, they went home. The two of them bought a litre of cookies and cream flavoured ice cream. They decided to have a movie marathon and sleep late that night. Their class the next day wouldn't start until 1 p.m. anyway so they could wake up later than usual. They ate out from the container itself and continued to watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. It was not until 11 p.m. that Rapunzel fell asleep on the couch and did not finish one episode. Jack didn't know she was asleep so he continued to watch and when the episode was done, he glanced at her and saw she was sleeping beside him. He stared at her. And the longer he did, the more he leaned down to her.

He wasn't sure what he was doing. A part of him wanted to sit back up and wake her up but a part of him just wanted it to be that way. When he was a few inches close to her, he scanned her features. He knew she was gentle when she was awake but she looks gentler asleep. He held his breath and tightened his lips. There was this _urge_ to kiss her even when his mind tried to knock him back to his controlled state but he couldn't. It was like gravity suddenly got heavier and heavier as the seconds passed. He leaned closer and closer until their breaths collided and that the tips of their noses almost touched. He didn't know why but his pride and obliviousness faded away. With all his heart, he admitted that he really liked her—_a lot._ He admitted he was falling for her and that he didn't want to stop.

He looked down at her lips and smiled softly. _Damn, he wanted to kiss it!_ He slowly exhaled through his nostrils and bit his lower lip. _What if I could… No!, _he thought, fighting the urge to kiss but then a part of him shouted in his head, _You're not going to get another chance like this! TAKE IT!_ , it screamed. He trembled a bit but he got control over himself and backed away. He shook his head and carried her bridal style. While he was climbing up the stairs, his conscience was throwing tantrums at him. He tried to ignore it but regret suddenly filled in his heart.

_You idiot! It was your chance, you coward!, _his mind screeched.

"I'm not a coward," he mumbled.

_You are, coward! You pulled away because she might wake up and when she realizes you kissed her, you're in more shit than being an asshole to the world, _his mind snapped. Okay, maybe he was.

He opened the door as he held her close to him. Her face got near his and it made him abruptly intake air. He tried to dust away the thoughts and concentrated on placing her on her bed. When he was able to lay her on her bed gently, she tossed and turned and her back was now facing him. He gave a heavy sigh and closed the door. He went to his bed and looked at her—staring at her lips. _What if he kissed her earlier?_ He grunted. He was going to lie down and was already holding the blanket to cover himself but there was just this _thing_ poking him in his head. His chest felt heavy and his heart beat thumped fast. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. He didn't know what he was doing _or _what he was going to do. His body had a mind of its own for the moment that he could see what was happening, he knew he shouldn't be doing it but he was. He quickly crawled up her bed, trying not to make any major movements so she wouldn't wake up.

He _slowly_ neared his face to hers. Close and closer, the gap lessened and his heart pumped faster. He was resisting until he could feel her breath against his skin. He gave in to his inner desires and closed the gap between them. His lips gently pressed against the corner of her lips and his eyes close. He pulled away slowly and carefully. He took a last glance at her and lied on his bed. That entire night, he couldn't sleep.

_What have I done?_

**End of Chapter**

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**XD Okay, so I'll end it here. Experienced a bit of happiness? Good for you! XD I experienced happiness making the last part. xDDDD well, I hope you enjoyed! The title is admitted because of two reasons; one, he is admitted to the club and two, he admits his feelings. FINALLY.**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	14. Official and Unofficial

**For those people who appreciated the last chapter, thank you! :D Suspense left you hanging? Well, here's the next chapter for you :D**

**About MERICCUP: I'll be posting a new story with Merida and Hiccup in it. I already decided the ending for this fic and I can't find any slits for them to slide in. I'm sorry. I promise that the new story will have MERICCUP. :D**

**For the guest who noted about the 'OUT OF CHARACTER-NESS' of Jack and Rapunzel: Yes, they're both a bit OC, especially Jack. I actually thought about it before starting the fanfic but I made it a bit more realistic (to my experience) that he wouldn't really be so much of a jerk to someone he's not really close to, especially with the person he likes a lot. XD But, don't worry in the future chapters, he will act like a jerk to her because of reasons. :D sorry if you feel awkward, though, towards them because of not being themselves.**

**So sorry for the late update. The succeeding chapters will be posted later than usual. It will take me a week or two to get one chapter done.**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies or any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 14: Official and Unofficial**

He stared at the ceiling, recalling what he had just done to _her_. The moment was only almost a picture but it kept him awake for hours now. His drowsiness left him a while ago. All he could think of was that moment and _that _feeling. It bothered him in a sense but he didn't want it to go. Any person who isn't able to sleep would get cranky but he didn't mind. As the memory of him so near her flashed in his mind again, a question popped up. _What if I kissed her directly?, _he asked. The thought of it made him swallow and partially regret he kissed her _just_ on the corner of her lips. The feeling finally made him insane.

_Jack, get a grip!, _he mentally slapped himself. _She's just a girl!, _he tried to convince himself not to be all awkward but his conscience interrupted, _Dude, she's __**the**__ girl. Not just __**any **__girl., _it said.

"Shut up, I don't need you right now." He muttered, a bit pissed off, and turned to face the wall.

It was quiet now. He gave a sigh and closed his eyes, hoping he would be able to sleep. He thought about himself and her, if their relationship was going to be something deeper than they have. He scoffed at himself, _Why would I be in a deeper relationship with her?, _he tightened his lip and he shut his eyes harder. He thought and thought about his chances, what he'd do, what he'd say to her and if he'd tell her soon about his feelings for her. Without realizing it, he fell asleep. That morning, he woke up earlier than her, despite sleeping at dawn. He took a shower, dressed himself with a plain blue long sleeved shirt, black pants and the customized shoes she gave him then, he went to eat cereals. All the while, he was still thinking about what he'd do and say. He wondered what her reaction will be if he told her his feelings. He was so absorbed in asking himself, he didn't notice her standing beside him, calling his name.

"Jack? What are you doing?"

When he heard her, he almost stood up from his seat but he managed to control himself, "Eating." He said flatly.

"But you've been staring at the bowl for two minutes now." She tilted her head, confused.

_Shit, she noticed., _he thought then looked up at her, "I'm still munching." He said.

She smiled, "Oh… I thought there was something wrong." She grabbed a bowl and a spoon and poured herself cereals and milk before looking at him again, "You seem to be early."

He smirked, "Thought I was a lazy bum?"

She smirked back, "I know you are! And you always sleep during vacation, sleepy head."

"I was merely concentrating."

She laughed, "Do you always snore when you concentrate?" she said and continued laughing.

He frowned but laughed seconds later. It was a bit offensive for him but it was funny at the same time. He gave her an evil smile, "At least _I _don't talk while sleeping." He laughed again. It made her blush madly and frown at him, "I-I do _not _talk while sleeping!"

"How do you know that?" he was still looking at her with an evil smile.

She was taken back a bit and blushed more, "I just do!"

He raised a brow and made a sly smile, "I heard you calling my name last night." He smirked.

_I was!?, _she looked horrified. "You're lying!" she cried.

"I'm not." His evil smile turned into an evil grin.

"You are!" she cried again, "I wasn't dreaming about you. I was dreaming about…" she trailed off, remembering her dream _about them._

"Me." He said when she didn't speak. Then he placed his chin on his palm and stared at her. She turned really red when he said the word.

"About camping!" she glared at him, "Oh, you're so full of air!" she pouted.

He arched a brow and smirked, "So full that I was able to blow you away." He said teasingly.

Her jaw shut close and her lips tightened but she didn't frown. She just stood there, looking blankly through him. He, on the other hand, arched a brow and stared right into her. He couldn't read her emotions through her eyes because she was feeling so many things at a time—mixed emotions of ups and downs.

"You won this round!" she grinned with determination and pointed at him accusingly then turned for the stairs, "I'll go take a shower now." She said and hummed her way upstairs.

It was weird for him to see her like that. He didn't know if it was a side she hasn't shown him yet or if it was really weird for her to act like that. His eyes followed her figure and looked at her bowl of cereals. He frowned a bit. _But she hasn't even eaten yet, _he thought.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel pressed her back against the bathroom door while looking at the tiled floor. She could hear herself breathing through her mouth and felt her heartbeat up to her hands. What he said was true. _He did blow her away_. Just hearing him say that almost made her melt. The way he said it—when his voice lowered at the end. _It was just so enticing!_ Her body wanted to break down and melt but she maintained control of herself. _He must have known by now that I haven't eaten_, she thought. Then she heard him knock.

"Hey, you haven't eaten yet!" he said.

She placed her bathrobe on the towel rack, "I will after I finish taking a shower!" she replied.

She took a shower and stared at the soap go down the drain as she thought of what she was going to tell him and how was she going to act all normal around him. Ever since they met, she stammered a lot, which she doesn't normally do. Sure, she was the same happy Rapunzel the rest of her friends knew but she didn't do most of the stuff she does with him to them. She was childish at times but she didn't feel interested in almost everything she sees, unlike with Jack. When she's with him, she thought everything was new to her and that the things around them and the places surrounding them should be discovered more. She turned the shower knob and got her towel and wrapped it around her hair and wore her bathrobe.

She sighed, "I like him… a lot." She confessed to herself. With that, she sighed again and opened the door.

Even up until wearing her clothes, she was preoccupied with her thoughts. She wanted to tell him how she felt but what worries her was their friendship. She thought he might not like her if she told her but, her conscience knocked on her head.

_Why would he do that? He's a nice guy!_, her conscience told her.

"What if he does? What am I going to do then?"

_You don't know that, Punz._

"Just a **what if**! What if he really will?" she asked herself loudly then she sighed at herself, "If he does, I won't take it likely…" she said, whispering to herself. "I think I love him…"

She finished dressing up and went down to eat her breakfast. Jack was in the living room so she had more time to think about her feelings about him. At one point, she growled. Whenever she finds comfort about not knowing a reason why she should be nervous, her conscience shoves a few reasons in her head and it almost made her insane. When she finished, she decided to call him so they'll go to school. The entire trip was silent. She thought of things to say but when she finally had the courage to say something, they were already in CU. She wondered if he found it odd for her not to be her bubbly and talkative self and if he thought that she was mad at him or anything. Even up until they went to the ninth floor, they were silent.

Jack held the knob of his classroom door and was about to turn but Rapunzel grabbed the sleeves of his jacket. He looked at her and saw she was bowing her head down. He couldn't help but worry but he didn't show it. After a few seconds of thinking, he decided to place his hand over her hand that was clutching on his sleeves. He was going to ask if anything was bothering her but he decided not to ask anyway. It would be stupid to ask her that, he thought. _She's obviously not okay, _his mind added so, he held her hand firmly and looked away when she glanced up at him.

"Let's talk about it later when you're fine." He said.

Her brows furrowed together in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

He tightened his lips, "You're obviously not okay." He rolled his eyes to look at her, still not facing her, "Just… tell me about it okay?" he said, trying to sound not _too _concerned but the care was there. She stared at him but her expression changed from confusion to blankly-staring-at-you kind of expression. He immediately looked away again, "Look, I'm not good at this stuff. Just tell me later. I need to go inside." He said, a bit of panic in his voice and twisted the knob but the sound of her chuckle made him halt.

She grinned at him when he looked at her, "It's nothing. I'm fine, really!" she chuckled again and gave him a pat on the arm, "I need to go now." She said and walked as normally as she could.

Class for her was really quiet. Even her classmates noticed her unusual silence. Whenever a teacher asks something, she would normally answer it. Most of the time she was the first one to greet the professor but now, she was just copying notes quietly. None of her classmates wanted to bother her. Her teachers noticed it too but they acted normally and continued the lesson. They decided to tell Ms. Claire because they knew the woman was the closest professor to Rapunzel. Ms. Claire decided to talk to her when they got dismissed. She waited for her to come out.

Ms. Claire saw Rapunzel get out of the classroom and noticed that she was looking at the ground. She gave a small sigh and thought that the teachers were right about her having a problem. She placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Hey," she called. Rapunzel turned and smiled when she saw her. Ms. Claire saw that her smile had a hint of something out of the place but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Hi miss." She greeted, not to cheery.

The woman frowned, "Your professors told me you weren't reciting like you usually do. Is anything wrong?"

She didn't speak and her expression turned to confusion. It was enough for Ms. Claire to confirm there really was something wrong with her and carefully pulled her to the side of the hallway. "Punz, what's bothering you?" she asked. Rapunzel only shook her head and said it was nothing but the woman knew better and asked her again, "What's the matter? Did someone hurt you?"

Finally, the girl spoke, "…No, miss." She looked at the floor.

"Then what is it?" Ms. Claire bent down a bit to see her face.

"I… don't really know…" Rapunzel said, almost a whisper.

The woman straightened up and held her shoulder, "Come on. Let's go to the cafeteria." She said and they went. The place was almost empty because the next classes have already started. Neither of them bought anything and decided to sit down near the wall-sized window. Rapunzel stared outside and looked at the city outline. Their cafeteria was at the twelfth floor and one side of the place was an entire window that showed the outline of one part of the city.

Ms. Claire placed her hands on the table and clasped it together, "Is it about family, Punz?"

Rapunzel looked back at the table and shook her head. She was at the verge of tears and she was fighting the tears back.

The woman inhaled and looked at her seriously, "A _boy?_"

She didn't do anything or say anything. She just stared at the table still. Ms. Claire knew she was correct. "Is he in school?"

The blond finally broke down, "I don't know what to do, Miss." She said, her voice faltering, "I'm afraid, confused, nervous and hopeless." She continued. The woman clearly knew what she was talking about. If there was anything that would make a girl feel confused and hopeless, it would be _love._ She didn't speak so the young blond would continue, "I want to tell him what I feel, show him what I feel. I want to be with him but at the same time, I don't." she said in-between tears, "I want to tell him but at the same time, I don't want to."

"Why?"

Rapunzel looked at her, tears streaming down her eyes, "Because I'm afraid he'll go." She said in a hushed tone. Ms. Claire kept quiet and let her continue. "A part of me says he wouldn't but another part says he will. I'm afraid that the side of me that says he will is right. I don't want the only person that spends the entire day with me, making me happy by only sitting beside me, to go."

The woman looked at her straight in the eyes. She knew _who _she was talking about. "It's Jack, isn't it?" she asked and the girl quietly nodded.

"Did he ever show signs he'll leave you?"

She shook her head, "I don't know…"

Ms. Claire smiled gently, "I think you should tell him." She said and it made Rapunzel look at her. "Don't let your doubts get hold of you from telling him how you feel about him. You'll never know what he really feels about you, unless you tell him what you feel about him or ask what he feels about you."

"But boys won't easily tell their feelings to a girl—even if it's someone else they like."

"That's why _you _need to tell him _your_ feelings so, he'll tell you what he feels about you."

Rapunzel looked at the table again and, with her eyes, looked at the professor, "What if he doesn't feel the same?"

"Then at least you know. You won't hope, you won't expect." The woman grinned at her, "Expectations are the least you want to have for a boy, Rapunzel."

She wiped her tears away and smiled, "Thank you, Miss."

With that, they decided to leave and go their separate ways. Rapunzel went to the ninth floor where Jack's classroom was and waited for him outside. She was smiling at the door. The nervousness left her a bit but at least she had made up her mind to tell him—but not today. When the door opened, her heart skipped a bit. But when she saw it was _him_, she unconsciously inhaled abruptly and she felt her cheeks become warm. She gathered her strength and shook away her negative feelings.

"Jack!" she waved at him.

He looked and nodded at her "'Sup, Goldilocks." he went to her. He noticed that her eyes were puffy. "What happened to you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her, "Did someone make you cry?" he asked, examining her features for more evidence she _did_ cry.

Rapunzel swallowed and waved her hands in front of her, denying him, "N-nothing happened!"

He frowned, "But your lashes are wet and your nose is red." He said firmly, "Who made you cry?" his frown tightened and he looked at her with high intensity.

"No one!" she said, trying to concentrate on looking at his eyes but her eyes just won't cooperate.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still frowning.

She nodded, "Yes, yes! I'm sure!" she said, forcing a wide smile.

Jack loosened his expression and smiled _a bit_. It shocked her when he leaned down and neared his face to hers and looked at her eyes with intensity again, "If anyone tries to hurt you, tell me." He said with protectiveness in his voice.

The entire time, she held her breath and nodded. _He's so near!_

He straightened up and smirked. _If any asshole makes her cry, I will make him suffer hell that he'll beg me to kill him instead, _he thought. Jack carried his bag over his shoulder, "Wanna go?"

She nodded, "Let's go!"

The two of them walked down the hall together and talked about how his class went. Again, Jack complained about how the girls in his class surrounded him the moment he entered the classroom. They asked him about _her_.

Rapunzel gulped, "What did you tell them?"

Jack had his head tilted down but his eyes were focused on their way, "I told them that you were a close friend." Then he frowned, "They accused me of lying and told _me_ that you were really my girlfriend and I was just _hiding_ it." His words successfully made her turn red. She didn't know how to react about it. She wanted to laugh at the hysterical accusation but a part of her wanted it to be 'somewhat' real.

"They wouldn't stop blabbering about it so I lied to them that I… was courting you." He swallowed.

Now that was something she never expected him to do. She couldn't find the reaction to show. She was so confused and nervous that it made her dizzy and look around the hallway as she breathed a bit faster and heavier than usual. _What is happening!?, _her mind shouted. Not that she didn't like what he said but, it was just so _awkward_!

He looked at her with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry I brought you into something you didn't want."

Her horrified expression turned into a forced I'm-okay look, "It's fine! If it will make them stop annoying you, I'll even act as your girlfriend. I _promise._"

_Okay, maybe promising it is hectic._

Jack was going to say something but he was cut off by _his fan girls._ They turned around and saw a group of girls standing a few feet behind them. The supposed leader of his fan club had her hands on her hips and her feet were apart. He and Rapunzel gulped a bit as they saw her.

"So _this_ is your girlfriend." The girl said.

Rapunzel looked horrified, _Oh no.._

**End of Chapter**

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**This chapter is called official because Punz is officially in love with him. And it's called unofficial because Punz is the 'unofficial' girlfriend of Jack~**

**I'm sorry I had to stop here. If I didn't, there will be nothing left exciting for chapter 15 so, yeah. I'm sorry D: I'm also sorry that I'll be updating later than usual. It might take me a week or so to update the succeeding chapters because of school work. LOADS OF DRAWINGS TO DO. D: I still have to do 180 drawings and all of it will be passed next week -_-**

**Hectic schedule. I'm sorry D: I promise to try my best to finish every chapter as soon as I have free time.. (like what I'm doing right now). So yeah, I hope you like this chapter. Sorry for the late update.**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	15. Around the World Date

**Been a while since I have made a chapter. I was in Wattpad and posted a story there. I just thought I should try posting there so yeah. I have LOADS of work to do. A hundred drawings for a week is the LEAST. Oh well. I'm gonna use this 9-hour break of mine to create this. I'm really sorry for the late update.**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 15: Around the World Date**

Rapunzel looked at the crowd of girls in front of them. It was fairly many. She guessed that the majority was from Jack's class and the others were from the other sections of his batch. The thought of waging a fan girl war over a guy was nuts but this was Jack they were talking about. She should do _something_. At least _anything! _Her brows furrowed a bit and she heaved a small hopeless sigh. Fan girls in CU were the not the type to quit. Some could say that chasing handsome men all over the place was their passion. They would stop at nothing! They were full of hope and determination.

Jack knew where it was going and he knew he _had _to do something. He did what he thought of first—placing his arm over her shoulder. He swallowed before talking, making sure he wouldn't stammer. "Yeah. This is Rapunzel." He told them confidently, smiling at the girls.

His actions surprised her but she didn't show she was because she thought that it might blow their cover. She followed her instincts that she should 'man up' and help each other get out of the mess so, she decided to smile at the fans and waved at them nicely, "Hello."

The leader of the group, Sam, scanned her from head to toe. She flipped her hair and smiled with determination, "I'm not here for introductions but I might as well introduce myself. I am Sam." Rapunzel cracked open a grin and was about to speak but Sam broke her off, "I am here to capture beloved Jack's attention and most especially, his heart." She glanced at Jack with dreamy eyes.

_Oh for the love of god, _he rolled his eyes with sarcasm.

Sam pointed an accusing finger at Rapunzel, who backed a bit by the sudden action, "I am challenging you to a duel!"

Rapunzel looked horrified, _What? Duel!? This girl's crazy!, _she thought. "What duel?" she asked calmly.

Jack pulled her closer, "No." he said, "_NO _duels. Please, leave us alone. We still have to…" he trailed off, thinking of excuses but his mind was all shuffled up that he couldn't think straight. _Jack, pull yourself together!, _He thought to himself. "It's our first month-sary together and we planned a date." He cracked a fake smile.

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, "Y-yeah! We should go," she faked a grin and looked at him, "Right, Jack?" she asked in between her teeth, still grinning.

He nodded, "Yes, _my_ Goldilocks," he said as he neared his face to hers.

She felt the corner of her lips twitch, _He said __**my **__Goldilocks!, _she gasped in her head. She felt her heart beat fast and her knees get weak. Sam said something she didn't hear but she guessed it was about letting them go for the meantime because the group retreated. They stood so close; their body pressed against each other and their faces still a few inches close. Her cheeks felt warm and she knew she was getting redder by the second. When the girls disappeared in sight, they pulled away. She looked at the ground, keeping her hand close to her chest, trying to calm herself down. She inhaled and faced him and looked at the direction where the girls went, "I guess there's no point in hiding our 'relationship' to the entire campus now." She said.

Jack knew what she was talking about. He felt like he was in a movie or a dram series or something. His heart paced faster and his hands trembled. _Maybe I could use this as an opportunity to make her feel what I feel for her, _he thought. His conscience agreed with the idea and it told him that he should start **now.** Unconsciously yet, consciously, he held her hand. It startled her but she didn't snatch her hand away. _It's a good sign right?,_ he asked himself. He saw her look at him questioningly.

"If the whole school's going to know about our 'relationship', then we might as well show them before the girls could even spread the 'rumor'." He said. _That was a lame excuse, _his conscience told him.

She blinked once and smiled, "You got a point." She said and held his hand tight. This time, he was the one who was startled. He almost jerked his hand away but he stopped himself from doing so. He swallowed again and tried keeping eye contact with her but his eyes just won't cooperate, "Let me carry your bag." He said.

She hesitated, "No, no! I can carry it! It's not heavy!"

"As your 'boyfriend'," he said, almost laughing, "I insist." He grinned. He felt happy and light. It was as if he could float in the air even without his powers. _So this is what love does to a person, _he smiled at her. He grabbed a strap of her backpack. His actions made her give in and take off her bag. He happily carried it on his shoulder and held her hand, "Let's go?" She looked at their hands and then at his eyes. She smiled and nodded.

They walked in the main hall and swayed their hands a bit. They talked about what to do on their 'educational club trip' and tried to ignore the feeling of their hands and pretended it was nothing. In their heads, they were panicking and freaking out, especially Rapunzel. Jack was trying to keep his cool and act normally, as if they weren't holding hands but he just couldn't ignore the warmth he feels. They knew some or even most of the people in the hall were looking at them. Some of the boys frowned and some of the girls made a pout. Jack saw this and looked down at her. "You seem wanted by some of the men here." He said and looked back at the people staring at them.

"What?" she asked, confused.

He looked at her again, "Do you even know that some of the men in this very hall has a crush on you?"

"They don't." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Look!" he said in a loud whisper. Rapunzel glanced around and looked at him, "They're not." She said. He frowned, "Didn't you see them" he asked. It was so obvious! How could she miss such a sight? Unless she knows something that _he _doesn't.

"I did," she grinned, "They were all looking at you." She giggled.

He cocked his head back, his brow arched "What? Why would the—" then a realization struck him, "Oh… You mean they're…?"

She laughed, "Yes. They're gay." She smiled, "And they're gay for _you_."

He frowned. It wasn't because he hated gay men but it was because of how his face—which he thought was the weirdest, most unattractive face ever made—attracted women _and_ men. He sighed a bit. Rapunzel tilted and bent her body to the side and looked up at him, "Don't worry. It just means you're really attractive." She grinned, "Who could possibly resist that pretty face?" she giggled.

He smirked, "_No one._" He winked at her, "Not even you."

She blushed and frowned, "Don't flatter yourself." She said flatly.

He grinned evilly and pointed at her cheek, "Look, you're blushing."

She inhaled and glanced away from him, "I'm not! Stop teasing me!" she broke away from him hold.

They were finally out of the building, Jack laughed, "I'm just kidding! Man, you're so fun to tease." He continued laughing. Rapunzel frowned more and punched his arm, "I hate you!" she cried. He was still laughing and saw her expression. He stopped and just smiled, "I love you too." He said and pinched her nose. It caught her by surprise. Her frown disappeared and she looked at his eyes. They stared at each other. His smile softened and he slid a hand inside his pocket, "So what present would you like to have?" he asked.

"What?" she tilted her head to the side, "Why?"

He chuckled and held her hand again, "It's our month-sary remember? Anything you want to have?"

She blinked, "But I thought it was just for show?" she blushed.

He made a lopsided smile, "It's been a month since we've met…Almost at least"

It struck her. _Oh yeah…,_ she looked at the ground. She grinned and looked up at him, "What present do you want?"

He arched a brow, still having the same lopsided smile, "I asked you first."

Rapunzel bit her lower lip and bowed her head. _Maybe I could…_

"Goldilocks?"

Her head shot up. Her eyes were glistening, "Can I… have a trip around the world with you?"

It made him think for a while. He wasn't ready for that one, he admitted. It would be perfect if only he knew it was coming. He imagined preparations and a lot of stuff for them to do around the world and he wanted to bring her to his favorite spots. The decision has been made. They would go _tomorrow _since they have no classes then_._ "Alright, " he crossed his arms.

"Can we go tomorrow?" she asked. He nodded. Rapunzel jumped and hugged him around his neck, "Oh, thank you, thank you!" she smiled cheekily and pulled away.

They decided to go home. Rapunzel decided to do her short homework in the living room after dinner while Jack decided to talk to the moon in their room. He looked up at the night sky and tightened his lips and looked at the moon seriously. "Manny, I'm going to ask a favor from you just this _once_. It's not for me—it's for _her._" He exhaled and closed his hand, "Please tell the others that I need all the help that I can get." He looked at his hand then back at the moon. It was as if it asked him what he needed and he happily told it, "I want to set up dinner in Spain. Somewhere with an open view of the sky where one can set up a picnic or something." He smiled a bit. The moon dimmed its glow, asking him if it was like of a romantic date. Jack's shoulders dropped and his cheeks flustered. He looked at his hands "N-no… I…" he looked back up at the moon and sighed in defeat, slumped and propped his chin on his palm, "…Yes." He said, facing the window sill but his eyes were fixed at the moon. It told him not to worry and that he'll tell the others about it. He made a gentle smile, "Thanks Manny."

The next day, Jack couldn't help but worry. He paced back and forth in the living room, checking the things he needed. He was already in his spirit form. He looked at himself in the large mirror hanging on the wall. He was wearing polo with blue and white plaid with the first three buttons undone and the sleeves folded up to his elbows, jean that were fit from his thighs to his calves and loose by the ankle and the same customized shoes. He played with his staff, waiting for Rapunzel to finish dressing up. Five minutes later, he heard her rushing down the stairs. He went out of the room and met her at the foot of the stairs. She was wearing a green batwing sleeved sweater, skinny jeans and black chucks. She tied her hair in a waterfall braid style and wore her mini backpack.

He made a lopsided smile, "What's in the bag?"

She grinned, "Handkerchief, wallet and camera." She said and went outside. He followed her to an alley. "How do we get there?" she asked.

Jack turned his back on her and bent his knees a bit, "Hold on." He said. She followed him and wrapped her arms over his shoulder and pressed her body against his. Without warning, he flew high up into the air. She shrieked at the speed and hugged him tight. For what seemed like an eternity, Jack slowed down. Rapunzel still had her eyes close, fearing for her dear life but when she felt that he slowed down, he opened her eyes and glance over his shoulder. They were so high above that the lights looked like stars. She couldn't help but smile widely at the view but she pouted at him.

"You almost killed me!" she squeaked, "I thought I was going to fall!"

He glanced at her, "You won't."

She puffed her cheeks, "I _almost_ did!"

He smiled, "I know." He said coolly.

Rapunzel almost strangled him, "Then why didn't you do something!?"

He continued smiling, "I did." She was going to speak but he cut her off, "I didn't let you fall."

It successfully shut her mouth. She bit her lower lip and buried half of her face at the back of his shoulder and peeked down at the outline of what was now New York. It was so full of lights. Her eyes widened and her lips formed a smile. "Pretty!" she exclaimed. He looked at her, "Wanna go there?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. She nodded. "Hold tight, okay?" he smiled gently at her. She pouted a bit and it made him chuckle, "I'm _not_ going to let you fall, _ever, _Rapunzel."

_He said my name,_ her eyes widened a bit. She couldn't help but smile, "Okay."

Jack sped down to one alley in Times Square. There were so many people even during the day. People were going on and off to work, eating out at restaurants and God-knows-what. Jack transformed into his human self and walked out, carrying his staff on one shoulder. Everyone that saw him and his staff looked at him with weird expression. He just smirked at them and walked with Rapunzel. She held his hand because she was afraid of getting lost. He noticed this and looked at her.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

She scowled a bit, "I don't want to get lost…especially in this large crowd."

He held her hand tight and made a lopsided smile, "Who would miss a girl with freakishly long hair?" he teased. She made a pout and it made him laugh. He pulled her to him. She almost tripped in the process. When their bodies collided, she looked up to see his face near hers. She held her breath as he gazed into her eyes. "I'm just teasing, Goldilocks." He said, still having the lopsided smile. She didn't know what to do or what to say. She looked at his eyes to his nose then his lips. _Oh god, those lips._

She snapped back to reality when he pulled her to a hotdog stand. "I'm hungry." He said. She laughed and opened her bag to get her wallet, "Two please. No mustard on mine."

Jack got their hotdogs while Rapunzel paid for it. He gave her her food. They simultaneously took a bite and walked along the sidewalk and explored the place. She glanced up at him. He already ate half of the food. She chuckled when she saw ketchup on his right cheek and got her handkerchief from her pocket. They stopped.

"You're messy, you know that?" she chuckled again.

He looked at her and she wiped her handkerchief on his cheek. For a split second, he was able to smell her scent from it. _Oh, she smells nice, _he thought. He continued eating and when he finished, he waited for her to finish. After New York, they decided to go to Stanley Park in Vancouver where they played hide and seek and sight seeing. They went to Athens and viewed the Acropolis and visited the Acropolis Museum. In the late noon, they visited China. They took pictures of themselves on the Great Wall and went to see the Terracotta Army. Next, they flew to Japan where they spent an hour of snowball fighting on Mount Fuji, pictorial **on top**of Himeji Castle and by the Universal Studios Japan's famous globe logo. Then, they went to Egypt and explored the Valley of the Kings, where Jack tricked and scared her by pretending to be a mummy, and watched the sun set on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Once the stars were in sight, Jack stood up and held out a hand to her.

She looked at his hand then up at him, "Where are we going next?" she asked as she held his hand.

He helped her up, "You'll see." He made a lopsided smile.

They went to Italy where had fun taking pictures with the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Flavian Amphitheatre. They took pictures in the Rialto Bridge as well and decided to go ride a ferry but Rapunzel saw a gondola and said it would be more fun if they rode that instead and they did. She had so much fun that she almost tipped the boat over because she was moving about. Jack calmed her down and let her sit beside him. She laid her head on his shoulder. This made him nervous, he halt breathing for a couple of seconds.

"Thank you, Jack." She smiled.

He looked down at her and smiled when he saw her adorable smile, "You're welcome."

At the end of the boat ride, Jack told her they should go to their next destination where they will have their dinner. They flew to Spain. He asked Rapunzel to close her eyes until he told her to and she did. When they landed, Bunnymund, North, Sandy and Tooth were there, doing the final touches on the venue. The yetis were there too and they were wearing a black bowtie around their necks. Jack asked them quietly if they were done. They nodded.

"You can open your eyes now." He told her.

Rapunzel opened her eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight. A round stage was set up. At one side was the round table for two and at the other were some of the yetis holding musical instruments. Pillars surrounded the stage, supporting the arched criss-cross frame of the roof. Vines crept up the pillars and flowers were decorated on the entrance. Jack held out an arm for her and she took it. They went up the stage. She saw the table cloth was white overlaid with cream cloth. The silvers and table napkins were placed neatly. The light source was from a small candle chandelier and from a few other wall lamps posted on the wall. She gaped at everything she saw. _It was just marvelous._

She turned to look at Jack, "Did you plan all of this?"

Jack scratched the back of his head and looked at the table, "Sort of. I only asked for help. They did the design and the building." He said and looked at his friends.

She looked at them, went and gave them a hug, "Thank you so much!" she said.

North gave a toothy smile, "You're welcome."

Bunnymund smirked slightly at Jack, "You're one lucky bludger, mate"

Jack scowled but smirked after, "I am, aren't I, _boomer_?"

The Pooka glared at him, "Cark it, bludger."

Rapunzel stared at them, "What are they talking about?" she asked. Apparently, she never understood Aussie slang.

Tooth chuckled, "Eh, it's just small fights. Insults." She said as she looked at the two who were throwing insults at each other again.

North stood in the middle of the two. He looked at them and cleared his throat, "_Anyway_, we are here to serve you for the night." He said. Sandy gave Jack and Rapunzel two thumbs up. North glanced at Jack, "Well?"

Jack cleared his throat and helped Rapunzel sit. He sat opposite of her. North went conducted the mini orchestra while Tooth and Bunnymund placed their food executively. There was Tapas, next was Adobo, Jamon, and a couple more Spanish food they didn't know about. They also had Crema Catalana (Crème Brulee), Empanada, Churros and Polvoron. They talked and laughed as they ate. North conducted the yeti orchestra to suit the mood of the two—of course it was a bit romantic. When the two finished eating, Sandy gave Jack a look that told him he should do _something_.

Jack looked at his plate and cleared his throat, "Rapunzel." He called.

She looked at him, "Yeah?"

He swallowed again, "Can we—" he was cut off when Sandy tried pushing him off his seat. He knew what it meant and hesitated at first but gave up and stood up. He went to her side and held out his hand. She looked up at him. He had a gentle smile. She took his hand stood. They went to the open space. Bunnymund elbowed North, signaling him it was time. North flicked his wrist, signaling his yetis to play the tune of I'll Be by Edwin McCain and they did. Jack pulled her closer to him. It caught her by surprise. Tooth and Sandman stood with Bunnymund beside the orchestra. Tooth was suppressing her squeals. Sandy made it rain golden sand.

Rapunzel saw that he was looking down at their feet. She smiled and placed her forehead against his and tried lifting his face to face her, "Don't think about stepping on my toes Jack. Just dance with the music." She grinned. _Their faces were so close. _Jack smiled. They pulled away and continued to dance as they had a conversation.

"This is the best day of my life." Rapunzel grinned.

Jack's eyes sparkled, "Really?"

She nodded, "Thanks to you."

As if there was magic working around them, they stared into each others eyes and they knew what steps they should do. He spun her and caught her. He unconsciously held her waist while she also unconsciously wrapped her arms around her neck. Their foreheads were pressed against each other while they talked.

"I know I already asked this but, have you ever fallen in love with someone?" she asked.

He held his breath, "No." he said. His conscience screamed at him, _LIAR._

"Really?" she asked with an are-you-sure tone.

He sighed a bit in defeat, "Okay, maybe I have."

She was silent for a moment, "Who was it?"

_Tell her the truth!_, his mind shouted. He looked at his friends. They were all giving him an assuring look. He inhaled, _I'm gonna do this., _he thought. "It's…" he trailed off. She waited for his answer. _Ugh, I can't say it., _he growled inwardly, "…My best friend."

"Who's your best friend?" she smiled at him.

_Now's your chance! Don't lose it! Or you'll regret it, you stupid piece of shame!, _his conscience growled at him. He wanted to but he just couldn't. The fear of rejection was taking over him. The fear grew as he imagined things he didn't want to happen. He was most afraid of one thing—being avoided by _her_.

_Be a man! SAY IT ALREADY!, _his mind screamed. He smiled at her, "I'll tell you later when we get to our last destination."

"But why?" she asked.

He changed the topic, "What about you? Do you like anyone right now?"

She blushed, "I… uhh.." she avoided eye contact with him. He arched a brow at her, "Who is it?" he added.

"Can I tell you later when we're in our last destination?"

"What?" he frowned a bit.

She gave him a toothy smile, "If you're telling me who's yours later, I'll tell you mine later too."

He sighed, "Fine." Then he smirked, "We're going now." He said flatly.

_Oh, you're dead meat now, Punz, _her mind told her.

**End of Chapter**

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**Okay, suspense XD I'm still deciding on what to do. So, you can hope for it and maybe you can put what you want to happen as a comment/review for this chapter xD. I'm sorry. Maybe if my conscience to do what you want to happen, you'll get to see what happens on the next chapter.**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	16. Moment of Truth

**Okay so, many of you guys were suspended xD. Well, here's the next chapter :D dedicated to you peeps!**

**FrozenLantern: lol xD I can hear Sweetie Belle's voice in my head with that :D**

**Guest: Thank you! :D Here's the awaited chapter!**

**Guest: wow, so many grrr's xD did I hang you with a thread back there? I'm sorry but here's the next chapter!**

**Guest: Hahahaha :D Find out in this chapter if he kisses her :D**

**PrancerDancer: Thanks! Here's what you've been waiting for :D**

**WolfieRed23: REALLY? *gasp* I feel so honored! I'm sorry I killed you with the ending though. Here's the next chapter :D I hope you find it as inspiring as the last chapter xD And yes, do message me when your story is up! :D Can't wait!**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies or any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 16: Moment of Truth**

Rapunzel stared at him, rummaging in her thoughts about excuses she should give so they wouldn't go just _yet_. She couldn't find any. There were loopholes and she knew Jack would slip his way through the need-hole-sized loopholes. She felt nervous. She thought of all the possibilities that could happen if _she_ was the one who confessed first. The negative thoughts swelled but she didn't lose hope. She continued to search for excuses—even just a little excuse that could delay them for at least three minutes or so. She found a sly way but the chances were fifty-fifty. It was that or nothing.

"Jack, can you sing me a song?" she smiled at him. He had a horrified expression and didn't reply. She chuckled, "Well?" she raised a brow but he still didn't reply. She gave him a pout, "Please?"

Jack couldn't resist and gave up. He swallowed and avoided her gaze, "Fine. But I warn you—I don't have a good voice."

She giggled, "It's fine! What matters is you sang to me."

He was bowing his head down slightly, looking at the floor. He rolled his eyes to look at her, still bowing down, raised a brow and smirked, "How about we do a duet?"

She jerked back, "W-what?"

He straightened himself and crossed his arms; "It's not fair if I'm the only one who sings. You should sing too."

She didn't know what to tell him so she sighed and smiled, "Alright. What song should we sing?"

Jack scratched his head. Most of the songs he knew were in the 1990's and early 2000's. He wasn't sure if there was any duet he knew. He scowled and scratched his head, "I honestly don't know what to sing." He looked at her; she was biting her lower lip and had her almost close hand pressing at the edge of it. _She's really cute,_ he thought and smiled lightly. His heartbeat was fast and he felt a heavy feeling in his chest. He trembled. He was going to tell her _soon._ He swallowed at the thought. _What if she wouldn't like me anymore?, _he asked himself. He wasn't prepared for that; no matter how much he thought of plans what to do, deep in his heart he knew he would never be ready for rejection. But there was this part in him that was full of hope. He still hoped that she felt the same way and accepts him. It doesn't matter if they wouldn't be a couple—he just needed to tell her what he feels and find out what she feels. He frowned a bit, _It's now or never,_ he sighed.

Rapunzel smiled brightly at him, "How about Someday We'll Know?" She chuckled, "Do you know that?"

He raised his brows and made a lopsided smile. He knew the song, "Alright." He nodded and looked at North who bobbed his head at him and instructed the orchestra again.

The two faced each other. She was smiling at him and held his hands. She started singing, "Ninety miles outside Chicago. Can't stop driving. I don't know why." He was staring at her. She continued, "So many questions—I need an answer. Two years and later you're still on my mind."

Jack swallowed and held her waist with his other hand, "Whatever happened to Amelia Earheart? Who holds the stars up in the sky? Is true love just once in a lifetime?" They smiled at each other, "Did the captain of the Titanic cry?" their voices raised a bit and they swayed with the beat, "Oh, Someday we'll know."

Rapunzel's hand found its way to his shoulder, "If love can move a mountain." He pulled her closer to him, "Someday we'll know." He looked at her eyes, "Why the sky is blue."

"Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you…" Both of them felt a small poke of pain. They hoped what they just sang was not _their_ story.

Rapunzel smiled despite this, "Does anybody know the way to Atlantis?"

"Or what the wind says when she cries?" he made a one-sided smile.

She looked up at him, "I'm speeding by the place that I met you…" They looked into each other's eyes, "For the ninety-seventh time…tonight." They smiled softly, "Someday we'll know."

She swayed her head, "If love can move a mountain."

"Someday we'll know."

"Why the sky is blue." Jack pulled away for a bit and pulled back again, pressing his body against hers a bit more. She blushed, "Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you..." she tried suppressing her smile but failed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Someday we'll know."

"Why Samson loved Delilah." Jack tilted his head slightly to the side and smiled at her, "One day I'll go."

She poked his nose with hers, "Dancing on the moon."

Their heartbeats paced fast, "Someday you'll know that I was the one for you…"

While there was still an interlude, Rapunzel pulled away and chuckled, "You don't sound as bad as you think, Jack." She grinned. He raised a brow, "Really?" she nodded and by instinct, they pulled themselves together, their faces close to each other, "Oh, whoa, whoa!" they slowly pulled themselves away slightly with the high note.

She absent-mindedly wrapped her arms around his neck, "I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow…"

He, also absent-mindedly, placed his hand on her waist, "Watched the stars crash to the sea…"

Rapunzel looked into his eyes, "If I could ask God just one question…"

He pulled her closer to him and they stared into each other's eyes intimately, "Why aren't you here with me…tonight?" they smiled at each other and pulled away, "Someday we'll know."

"If love can move a mountain." He continued to stare at her.

They swayed to the beat, "Someday we'll know."

She sang to him with emotions, "Why the sky is blue!"

"Someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you! Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah! Someday we'll know!" They now felt the song as they never lost the gaze into each other's eyes.

"Why Samson loved Delilah." He sang to her as if he was talking to her.

They slowly slid their hands away from its position, "One day, I'll go—!"

Rapunzel's heart swelled as she neared her face from him; "Dancing on the moon!" she pulled away.

"Someday you'll know—" their expressions softened, "—That I was the one for you…" they unconsciously pulled together. Their faces were _extremely_ close to each other. When they realized, they pulled away, blushing.

Jack was looking at the ceiling while Rapunzel was looking down at the ground. He tightened his lips, "Nice voice, Goldilocks." He decided to look at her. They simultaneously glanced at each other. She smiled at him, "You're not bad yourself."

There was silence between them. Sandy tugged on North's sleeve, signaling him to do something. North raised his hands, "Ah! Good song! You have a very nice voice, Rapunzel." He gave a cheeky smile to Rapunzel.

Tooth looked at Jack with amazement, "I didn't know you could sing!"

Jack made a one sided smile with one brow arched. He shrugged, "I didn't know too."

Bunnymund elbowed him, "Aren't you going somewhere?" he winked.

This made him gulp and frown. He remembered what he was supposed to do and it made him nervous like hell, "Y-yeah…" he said lowly.

Tooth grinned at him, "You don't want to miss out on your own finale, Jack." Then she whispered to him, "They yetis are ready. They're waiting for you." She pulled away and smiled.

He nodded and gathered himself, "They're right," he said, facing Rapunzel. "Let's go."

Before they left, they said goodbye to the four. They flew to Paris and settled on one of the top beams of the Eiffel Tower. The entire city of Paris was filled with lights. Rapunzel smiled at the sight. "This is so cool!" she looked around. She saw people eating out, having a stroll and whatnot. She looked up at the moon and marveled at its gloriousness, "The moon's huge!"

Jack chuckled, "Yeah. Manny's always like that." He said, looking at the moon also.

A memory struck her, "Oh yeah! That's Manny…" she trailed off. A few moments later, she waved at it, "Hi, Manny!"

He laughed at her gesture and settled down a few seconds later, "He says 'Hello'."

It made her excited, "Nice to meet you! I'm Rapunzel!" she said, still looking at the moon with big eyes.

He laughed again, "Likewise, he said. He already knows you."

She glanced at him, surprised, "He does!?"

Jack bent his knees up and placed his elbow on his knee. He placed his hand to lean closer to her, "Yeah."

She blinked at him then glanced up at the moon again, "Amazing…" she said in a whisper.

And there was silence. Jack rambled in his mind on how to start the conversation about his feelings to her. Every time he comes up with something, he'll think it was stupid of some sort. He inhaled and thought to himself that he should man up. _Here goes nothing, _he thought.

He swallowed and looked down at the streets, "Hey," he called to her.

She glanced at him, "Yeah?" she smiled. It made him even more nervous. He thought that if he told her what he felt, he would _never_ see that smile of hers ever again, but a part of him thought he should tell her no matter what. When he didn't speak, she looked at him with worry, "Jack, are you okay?"

He exhaled through his nostrils, "I'm fine." He smiled at her.

She inhaled slowly and tucked a loose hair behind her ear, "So… your best friend, what is she like?" she smiled softly. The thought of him liking someone else was almost unbearable. Negative thoughts made tears form at the base of her eyes and her throat ached.

He smiled at her, "She's smart, nice and beautiful. She's helped me a lot of times and took care of me too."

She blinked her tears away while listening to him. She faked a scratch to her left eye when her tears threatened to fall, "Oh…" she smiled, "Does she like you?"

He frowned a bit and chuckled, "I don't know…"

"You never asked her?"

He shook his head, "No…"

"Why?" she looked at him with concern. She couldn't dismiss the pain she felt but she thought he was more important then herself.

He looked up at the moon, "Every time I try to, I get nervous and back off. I'm a coward, huh?"

She frowned at him, "You're not." She said firmly and looked at the moon also. Her expression softened, "I'm like that too…"

He looked at her. His nervousness faded a bit, "What's he like?"

She glanced at him, "Hm?"

He avoided her gaze, "The guy you like…" he trailed off, "What's he like?"

Rapunzel chuckled, "He's nice. He's a gentleman… well, most of the time." She laughed, "He's fun to be with."

_That's not me,_ he thought. He inhaled and pretended a smirk, "Is he handsome?"

She grinned knowingly, "Yeah. A lot of girls at school like him."

_Yep, it's Jonathan, _he scowled at the thought, "He's one lucky guy." He faked a smile.

She laughed, "You think so?"

His expression softened, "I know so." They stared into each other's eyes.

Rapunzel broke the eye contact. She looked sad, "Well, I don't think he likes me back…"

"Why? Because of his fan girls?"

She had a sullen expression, "…I don't know…"

He straightened himself and held her hand, "You should tell him." He looked at her seriously. She looked at her, eyes a bit wide. When she didn't speak, he continued, "It's the only way to be sure of what he feels about you." Rapunzel swallowed and avoided his gaze when she felt that he was searching her soul, "You should tell her too." She told him, still avoiding his gaze. Again, there was silence between them. They both took their time to prepare themselves. They took so long that fireworks suddenly popped up in the sky. They looked at it. Jack chuckled. _The yetis must've gotten impatient… oh well, _he thought. He inhaled. _I might as well tell her…_

"Rapunzel…" he muttered. She inhaled abruptly and looked at him. _He said my name again…_

Jack clenched his fist and looked at her earnestly. It was her first time to see him look at her that way… as if there was something he wanted to tell her for a while now.

"Jack…" she whispered.

He placed his hand on hers and held it, "I've been meaning to tell you this…"

Rapunzel's heart paced fast as a blush slowly appeared on her cheek. She was freaking out in her mind but she maintained control of her physicality. She waited for him.

He had a look of confusion and nervousness. She saw him take in air and open his mouth. Jack closed his mouth again. _God damn it Frost! TELL HER ALREADY!, _his conscience shouted at him. He swallowed and exhaled. He saw that she was anticipating what he was going to tell her. He felt his heart banging on his chest as if it wanted to break out of him. _Here goes nothing…_

"Rapunzel…" he muttered again. She was lost in his eyes, "Jack…"

"I think I like you…" he whispered. _YOU THINK!? You __**love**__ her, you idiot!, _his mind scolded. He tightened his lips. He saw her eyes widen and swallowed, "No, scratch that—" he finally made a gentle smile, "—I love you." He made a sad smile. He felt pain.

"Jack I…" she made a soft expression, "I… I…"

He still had the sad smile. He thought she didn't feel the same way so he decided to take her home. All the way back to Rapunzel's home, they were silent. Rapunzel wanted to tell him but she just couldn't. There was something holding her back. When he settled her on her bed, she wanted to go after him when he decided to change his clothes in her parents' room. She sighed and decided to change to her pajamas. "Punz, how could you be so stupid!" she mumbled angrily to herself as she came out of the bathroom. She lied down her bed and covered herself with her blanket. She was facing away from the door so he thought she was already sleeping. She heard him open and close the door and lie down his bed. In her mind she knew she had to make it up to him. After five minutes, she got up.

Jack had his back facing her bed. He couldn't sleep because of the pain he was still feeling. He sighed. He tried to cheer himself up by thinking that at least he already told her his feelings. He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. After five minutes, he felt something move and not too long, he felt someone lie beside him and hug his waist. His eyes flung open. He heard her call him but he didn't reply.

"I know you're awake." She said calmly. He still didn't respond. She sighed, "Jack… I want to tell you something."

"I'm fine." He said with a bit of nonchalance in his voice.

She scowled, "It's not that." When he didn't speak, she continued, "You see Jack, I…" she inhaled, tightened her lips and furrowed her brows. _Say it, Punz!, _she thought to herself. She pressed her forehead against his back and hugged him tight, "I love you, Jack." She whispered.

She felt him move so she loosened her hug. He slightly turned, "What?"

She moved up to see his face and neared hers to his, "I love you." She whispered.

He fully shifted his position to face her. She lied back down and hugged him again. He smiled curtly and wrapped his arms around her waist. They shared a staring moment. Jack's gaze went down to her lips and back to her eyes again. He leaned in to her and kissed her. She was caught in surprise but closed her eyes and kissed him back moments later. They pulled away. Rapunzel snuggled her head by his neck and hugged him tightly. They fell sleep together that way with smiles on their faces.

The next morning, Jack woke up without Rapunzel. At one point, he thought it was just a dream. He decided to go downstairs and see what was for breakfast. He smelled chicken nuggets and smiled slightly. He prepared the table.

Rapunzel turned to him with a bright smile, "Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

He smiled back, "Good morning, Goldilocks."

She passed by him and kissed his cheek. It caught him by surprise. _So I wasn't dreaming after all…_

"So how was sleep?" she asked as she sat down across him.

He made a genuine smile, "Great. Yours?"

She blushed, "Never been better."

The two of them ate. For them, it was the most awesome feeling in the world. They weren't officially a couple _yet_ of course, but their school knows about them so it was like they were an actual couple. When they went to school, everyone was fussing about their relationship. Jack kept her close to him. Whenever his fan girls would get close to her, he'd step in the scene and make sure nothing happens to her. She would smile whenever he blushes when he tells her he loves her. Their relationship was just for show but their feelings for each other were real. Most of the time he offers to carry her bag and get their food during lunch. Girls around them would look at her with looks of envy and jealousy. She never tells him that but Jack wasn't too ignorant not to see that coming. Friday came and the club tour was the next day. Jack was given two assignments and he decided to do it on lunchtime.

Rapunzel continued to munch on her pudding and swallowed. She looked at him, "So, have you figured it out yet?"

He nodded, "Yeah. The flashcards were great help." He scribbled down his answer. He was smart but Algebra was a bit hard for him. If he were not as inspired as he was now, he wouldn't be able answer eight (out of fifteen) of the given problems.

She stood up and looked over his shoulders. He was almost done. She smiled, "Anything you want to have as a snack for tomorrow?"

He stopped writing and sat up, "Pretty much everything you cook." He gave her a surprise kiss on the cheek and smirked when he saw her shocked face.

She blushed and smiled shyly, "O-okay."

He pulled her chair beside him; "Sit here."

She obediently followed him. As soon as she sat down, she continued eating the pudding. Twice, she fed him and it made her blush, thinking that it was an indirect kiss. When Jack finished his last assignment, they headed home. They prepared their things.

"Jack, you don't have a sketchpad right?" she asked him, peeking inside his bag.

Jack nodded, "Yeah."

Rapunzel got her other sketchpad and shoved it inside his bag, "You'll be needing this. We'll just share with the pencils. I got more." She smiled at him.

He scratched his head, "Although, I don't have enough clothes. Didn't they say to bring a jacket or a sweater?"

She chuckled, "Don't worry. I already got your clothes from the laundry shop." She stood up from the floor and carried their bags. He helped her and went to the kitchen to put their snacks in another bag. In total they had six bags. When they finished, they decided to sleep. Even though they knew about each other's feelings, they slept on their own beds. For Jack, he wanted to take things slow. After all, he only confessed and he didn't say he would court her. Maybe he would but not right now.

The next day, they woke up at four a.m. They assembly was at six so they had to hurry and check their things before leaving. Jack wore his old hoodie, jeans and his now favorite shoes. Rapunzel wore her pink sweater, jeans and pink boots. She braided her hair loosely. When they were done checking their things, they went to CU in time. They went in the mini bus and saw some of their club mates. They decided to sit on the driver's column on the fourth row. Jack placed four bags on the overhead compartment and the snacks bag at their feet. After fifteen more minutes, everyone was there.

"Alright everyone!" Miss Claire looked back at them. She sat at the front row. "The trip will take about four to five hours so make yourselves comfortable." She smiled and with that, they began the trip.

Rapunzel stared out the window. _I wonder what's going to happen…,_ she thought with anticipation.

**End of Chapter**

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**Okay, so that settles it! :D yay! THEY CONFESSED. FINALLY! I wouldn't have a headache about it anymore! Yay! So did you like the chapter? Sorry if it's not as good as you guys hoped it to be. See you next chapter! THANK YOU FOR READING!**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	17. School Trip Part 1

**Okay so, this is the next chapter, y'all! Uhh, yeah… I hope this turns out as good as I hope it to be… and of course, that you guys will like it. Sorry for the late update. HECTIC SCHED LIKE HELL.**

**I think some people don't like this fic and I'm sorry because I don't live up to your expectations. I try my best every chapter. And I'm sorry for the people who are disappointed because I update late. I'm really really sorry. I do the best I can to make the chapters. For those who continue to love and support me with this fanfic, thank you very much! I really appreciate it. It helps me go on with the fanfic.**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 17: School Trip Part 1**

Clarence and the others were having fun at the back. They stood and walked back and forth the minibus, not minding how dangerous it was. Rapunzel stood and walked back and forth once or twice while Jack, of course, just sat and continued to watch movies in her laptop. He sat by the window because she was talking to Jenny about art stuff and…. More stuff he didn't understand. When he got bored of watching movies, he ate chips and cookies as Rapunzel and their club mates laughed and teased each other. They played games and sang songs. That time, the entire club was singing to No Boundaries (Kris Allen version) with emotions but a bit off-key they kind of made fun of it. Instead of saying "There are no boundaries," they said…

"There are no BROWN TREEEEES!" Jack's club mates sang in chorus. It made him turn his head and laugh. He looked up at Rapunzel who was kneeling on the seat, looking back at their club mates and singing along with them. He smiled when he heard her repeat the 'brown trees' for the final note. Everyone cheered and Clarence gave Rapunzel the guitar. She looked at him, "Sing along with us, Jack!" she smiled cheekily and folded up the armrest so she could rest the guitar on her lap. She began to pluck the strings. The notes were familiar to him. He just waited for the others to sing so he could remember what it was.

The boys started to sing, "Ohh wooah! Ohh wooah!" they sang a bit out of tune, "What time is it where you are?"

The girls started to sing, "I miss you more than anything!"

Jack was still trying to grasp the title of the song. He waited until the chorus.

"Back at home you feel so far" the boys continued.

"Waiting for the phone to ring." The girls clapped to the beat.

Clarence started to sing solo, "It's getting lonely living upside down. I don't even wanna be in this town." Then this time, the rest of the boys sang with him, "Trying to figure out the time zone's making me craaazzyyyyy!" And with that last note, Jack finally figured out the song and hesitatingly started to sing along with the boys, "You say good morning when it's midnight! Goin' out of my head, alone in this bed! I wake up to your sunset and it's driving me mad. I miss you so bad and my heart, heart, heart is so jet lagged. Heart, heart, heart is so jet lagged! Heart, heart, heart is so jet laaaagged… IS. SO. JET. LAGGED!"

The boys almost screamed, "Ohh woooaahh!"

The girls started, "What time is it where you are?"

The boys, "Five more days and I'll be home."

"I keep your picture in my car."

"I hate the thought of you alone."

Rapunzel sang solo; "I've been keeping busy all the time, just to try to keep you off my mind." All of them sang, "Trying to figure out the time zone's making me craaaazzzyyyy!"

Jack sat back on his seat and tapped his lap to the beat as if he was the one playing the drums. He bobbed his along with his tapping and didn't hesitate to sing. All of them were having a great time. They continued to sing songs until they reached Spring Cabin and no one cared if they were a bit off key at some notes. When they reached Spring Cabin, they all settled down but some still said jokes about what happened while they were singing and all of them laughed. They checked in and went to their cabin. They had two—one fore girls and one for boys. Their cabins were just beside each other and were with three other cabins. Trees surrounded them but there was a pathway that led to the center of the entire premises.

Jenny looked around, "This place is so beautiful."

Rapunzel stood behind her and also looked around, "Yeah. We're surrounded by nature!" she squealed. Jack glanced around the place.

Clarence came from behind them and placed his arms over their shoulders, "And I smell adventure!"

Ms. Claire chuckled, "We're not here for camping."

He pouted, "We might as well have a little adventure while we're here."

"Campfire's allowed but not _in_ the forest."

"But aren't we already _in _it?"

Ms. Claire sighed and shook her head at the same time, "You know what I mean, Clarence. You're the president, you know better."

Clarence squeezed Jack and Rapunzel together, "I know, miss! We're just going to have ghost stories every night and have a look around is all. Besides, they should've put an electric fence as borders." He grinned, "Right guys?" he turned to the others and they nodded.

Ms. Claire shook her head and just smiled curtly, "Alright, alright. Guys, you'll be with my brother. Girls, let's go." The group divided. Rapunzel was the last to follow Ms. Claire. Jack called her before she could step inside their cabin. She looked at him, "What's wrong Jack?"

He was frowning down at the dirt, "I don't know how to get along with them." He muttered.

She smiled, "Don't worry about it," she tipped his chin with her finger, "You'll be fine. Just do what you did to me."

He arched a brow, "Freak them out?" he smirked.

She chuckled, "Oh, you…" she pinched his cheek. He smiled at her and pinched her nose, "Alright." He said and then, they parted ways.

Rapunzel went in the girls' cabin and went to one bunk bed and decided to have her place at the upper bed. Jenny settled at the lower bed, "Hey, Punz, do you want to share cabinets and drawers?" Rapunzel nodded and opened her bags. They decided that the two upper drawers and the left side of the cabinet were for Rapunzel and the two lower drawers and the right side of the cabinet were for Jenny.

Jenny smiled at her, "How are things with Jack?"

She smiled and blushed at the same time, "Great!" she tried not to sound _too_ happy.

Meanwhile in the boys' cabin, Jack threw his bags at the top bed. He opened one bag and got his clothes and placed them in the drawers beside the bunker bed. Clarence settled his bags under their bed. "You can just put your bags under the bed too," he said. Jack looked at him and made a one-sided smile, "Thanks but, no thanks." He continued to put his clothes inside the drawers.

Clarence sat on the bed, "So," he started, "How's it going between you and Rapunzel?"

Jack stopped for a split second but continued, "Smooth." He said with a small smile.

Clarence smiled teasingly, "Has _anything_ happened between you?"

This completely made Jack stop on his tracks and turn red, "What are you talking about?" he asked as casually as possible and pretended to continue fixing his clothes in the drawers.

"You _know_ what I'm talking about." Clarence shrugged his brows, teasing him more. He swallowed, "Nothing happened." He replied.

"Are you sure?"

He glanced at Clarence slowly, his lips tight together. The boy laughed with a bit of nervousness, "I'm just kidding! So Jack, how is she as a girlfriend?"

_If you guys only knew_, he thought but answered anyway. He smiled, "Perfect."

Clarence smiled also, "I'm glad Punz finally has someone who can take care of her." He said and lied down, "She's always alone. Her parents aren't home. I'm glad you're stay with her, man." He grinned, "And I'm glad you're her boyfriend and not some drunk asshole."

Jack inhaled abruptly and looked at the drawer. For him it was a very big deal. They've only met a few times but this guy trusts him that he'll take care of Rapunzel. Clarence was like a big brother to her and he could see that. To be trusted by someone whom Rapunzel regards as a family was indeed a big thing. He thought about his fake relationship with Rapunzel. _If he knew about it, would he still tell me that?_, he asked himself.

"Jack… Jack?" Clarence called him. He snapped back to reality and looked at him. "Ms. Claire is calling us. Let's go." The boy said and went ahead of him. When they got out, everyone was gathered around the campfire stones.

Ms. Claire looked at all of them, "Today we'll be going to the museum so bring your sketchpads, charcoal pencils and money. If you have lunch, bring it along." As soon as she finished speaking, all of them went back in their respective cabins and got their things. They went to the parking lot and inside the minibus. It took them fifteen minutes to get to the museum. When they were in, they were allowed to search around and draw whatever they feel like copying for an hour and a half. Jack and Rapunzel settled on drawing Rembrandt's painting of Delilah betraying Samson. As they sketched, they had a conversation.

"Why do you like this painting?" Jack asked.

Rapunzel smiled as she continued to sketch, "Aside from the details on Samson's sash around his waist, the message is portrayed marvelously. You can sense betrayal because of the way Delilah holds up his hair." She smiled some more.

He smirked, "You're such a nerd." He finished putting the details on Samson's sash.

She nudged him, "Oh shut up." She smiled, suppressing the laughter building up in her.

He laughed a bit, "Nerdy Punzie." He teased.

She poked his side with the back of her pencil, "I said shut up." She tried to stop smiling wider but she couldn't control it.

He was just so wicked to her that he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Nerdy Punzie." He teased again.

She raised her sketchpad up in the air and threatened to hit him. He raised his hand to 'cover' and defend himself. It felt very much like their first meeting. He grinned widely and chuckled, "Okay, okay! I'm stopping! I'm stopping!" Rapunzel put down her sketchpad and was about to draw but Jack just couldn't stop being mean to her, "Nerdy Punzie." He whispered again.

She frowned at him, "Jack!"

He only grinned at her. She hit his arm with her sketchpad, "Let's go." She walked ahead of him. They decided to sketch The Thinker next… at least Rapunzel did. Jack was only staring at the statue. He looked at her. She was concentrating on her drawing. Her eyes back and forth from the statue to her sketchpad, strands of her hair were hanging down her temple, her lips slightly open. He smiled gently and opened his sketchpad and started to draw. After ten minutes, Ms. Claire's brother passed by them and told them that they'll be having lunch in the nearby local restaurant. They told him they'll be on their way and continued to draw.

While in the restaurant, they were talking about how awesome in real life the paintings were. Some showed their works and compared each other's drawings. Jack was still eating his parfait while Rapunzel was sipping from her glass of red tea. They just watched their club mates praise and argue with each other about how better others were.

"Well, I want to see what Rapunzel made!" Catherine blurted out. The others looked at her. She looked at all of them and blinked once, "What?"

"We want to see what you drew!" Catherine and Clarence said in unison.

She gave them her sketchpad. They scanned the pages in awe. The others were tempted to look at it and they peeked. Ms. Claire smiled, "Look, bro. This is how _good_ my student is."

Ian, Ms. Claire's brother, looked over her shoulder and smiled when he saw Rapunzel's drawings, "Wow! They're awesome! She's very talented."

Ms. Claire smirked, "Of course she is! She's one of my best students."

This made Rapunzel blush. Jenny smiled at her, "Also," she glanced at Ian, "She's a triple threat."

Ian's eyes widened a bit in delight, "Really?" he looked at Rapunzel, "What else do you do?"

Rapunzel squeezed her hands on her lap, "I-I dance and sing…" she was blushing more.

"Very talented…" Ian smiled at her. It made her want to hide her face.

Clarence looked at Jack, "Can we see yours?"

Jack handed him his sketchpad. He just kept quiet and looked at them as he continued to eat his parfait. They flipped the pages of his sketchpad. Jenny's eyebrow raised, "Not bad..." she smiled. Ms. Claire nodded as she looked at his drawings; "It's actually pretty good…" she said and smiled at him, "Good job, Jack." He smiled back. Clarence flipped the page and was a bit surprised at what he saw but smiled, "You're really good at drawing, man." The others smiled. Catherine couldn't help but squeal, "That is _so_ sweet!"

Jenny looked at Ms. Claire, "This _is_ valid right?"

Ian looked at her sister, "She _was _inside the museum."

Ms. Claire neither looked at them. She was too busy looking at the details of Jack's drawing, "Very good." She muttered.

Rapunzel became curious. _What are they looking at?_

Catherine snatched the sketchpad and showed it to Rapunzel, "Look at what your boyfriend did! It's awesome!"

Her eyes widened. _It was a portrait of her._ She felt a blush creep up her cheeks. She couldn't look at him even if she wanted to. Catherine gave Jack's sketchpad to her. She examined the portrait. _He even did the shading!, _she thought. She closed the sketchpad and gave it to him without looking at him, "That's… v-very nice, Jack." She was blushing again. When he grabbed his sketchpad back, their fingers brushed against each other and it made her blushed even more.

Clarence (kind of) whispered, "Kiiiiissss"

Jack almost choked on his saliva while Rapunzel squeaked.

"Come on you two." Catherine grinned at them. The others were teasing them with 'yiiiee's and 'kiss'es. Ms. Claire arched her brows teasingly, "Are you shy that I'm here? Don't worry. I won't tell. You're both grown up and we're not in school premises." She smiled cheekily.

Clarence kicked on Jack's foot slightly. Jack looked at him. He winked at him, "Come on, Jack. Don't be shy!"

"You too, Punz!" Catherine smiled teasingly at Rapunzel.

They continued to tease them until they gave up. Rapunzel lifted her face and as soon as she did, Jack kissed her cheek. Their friends cheered and commented on how cute they were. Rapunzel told them that they should go back to the museum but it only made them tease her and said, "So Jack could take more portraits of you."

She jerked back, "O-of course not!" she bowed her head and looked at Jack with her eyes, "Not that I don't want you to do that…" she mumbled to herself.

They returned to the museum and continued to sketch. They returned to Spring Cabin by sunset and had a campfire after washing up. All of them gathered around the campfire and roasted marshmallows. Clarence was playing the guitar and was singing with a few other friends. Jack and Rapunzel shared a stick of marshmallow by Catherine's request. The girl wasn't a wacko fan girl of Jack but she likes him enough to admire everything he does and find everything he says amusing…but she was more of _their_ fan.

"I wish my powers work right now." Jack mumbled. The marshmallows stung his tongue.

Rapunzel chuckled, "You should've blown first." She said and blew on the side where he took a bite, "There!" she grinned at him. He took a bite and munched on the glorious thing. Rapunzel also took a bite.

Ian stood, "I'll be going now. Good night guys." He smiled at them and left. Ms. Claire followed, "I'll be going to bed too. Good night."

The students looked at each other with mischievous grins, save for Jenny, Jack and Rapunzel. Clarence was the first one to speak, "So, who's up for truth or dare?" he asked and the others agreed with him. "We're not going to be using bottles to be fair. We start with Mariah then go clockwise." He said as he gestured his hands. Some chose truth, some chose dare. Those who chose dare were told to dance, do ding-dong-ditch to the other cabins (well, they knocked because there's no doorbell), eat burnt marshmallows and some other stuff. When it was Rapunzel's turn…

"Truth or dare?" Clarence narrowed his eyes at her.

Rapunzel thought first, "Hmm… Dare?"

Clarence had an evil smile plastered on his face, "I dare you to… do a sexy dance on Jack." Everyone burst out laughing and giggling. Catherine's squeal stood out. Jenny smacked Clarence's back hard, "Clarence!" she frowned at him. He looked at her, "What? It's just for fun! Don't be such a kill joy." He pouted. She just rolled her eyes as she sighed. Jack and Rapunzel both had a horrified expression.

_I'm going to what!?,_ Rapunzel thought in horror. Sure she danced but… a _sexy_ dance?

The two of them avoided each other's gaze. Clarence smiled teasingly, "Well? Do it!" he laughed. The others cheered them, except for Jenny, who was just staring in disbelief at the both of them.

Jack stood up and offered his hand to Rapunzel. She took it and stood up. They were still avoiding gazes. Rapunzel pouted at Clarence, "Can't I do a different dare?"

Clarence shook his head, "That'll be unfair to the others." He smiled, "Go on, Punz!" he started to play a song in his phone on loudspeaker. The song was on the chorus and it was Love, Sex and Magic (Justin Timberlake). Some whistled, some teased, some cheered them.

Rapunzel swallowed, "I am _so_ sorry," she whispered and looked at him apologetically.

Jack couldn't frown but he couldn't smile either, "I-it's fine. Just do it so it'll be over."

As what she was dared to do, she danced around Jack, sliding her hands on his arms, shoulders and back. There was a point that she had to slide her body against his side. On the other hand, Jack was just standing there like a post—straight and stiff. He didn't want to move any part of his body because he might touch something he didn't want to touch on her. He had to lower his head and bite his lower lip because he was feeling reluctant at what has happening to them. When the song finished, they both sat down.

"There! Are you happy?" Rapunzel grimaced.

Clarence grinned, "Satisfied." _It's Jack's turn._ "Jack," he started, "Truth or dare?"

Jack gulped. He sure didn't want to do dare but his daredevil side got the best of him, "Dare." _What the hell!?_

Clarence smiled at him, "I dare you to…"

Everyone anticipated for his words, even Jenny.

"Well, I just want to see this so…" he grinned, "I dare you to kiss Rapunzel—lips to lips."

Jack and Rapunzel sighed in relief, _That was close,_ they thought.

"By lips to lips, I meant _French kiss._"

_Well shit…_

**End of Chapter**

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**-o- I really wanted to continue but I have to go. I promised a chapter so, here. I'm sorry if it wasn't as good as the other chapters. D: I'm really sorry! I'm also sorry about posting late. For those who haven't read Our Song yet, please do. I really want to know your insights about it. Thank you!**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	18. School Trip Part 2

**I'm back… for now. I'm sorry to inform you guys but I WON'T BE UPDATING ANY STORIES FOR THE WHOLE OF OCTOBER. D: I'm truly sorry. I have load of work to do. Damn thousand poses had to be a thousand -.- it's becoming the death of me, really. I'm soo sooo sorry D: I heard we have a one day vacation by October 28 or 29, I hope I already finished our assignments there -_-.. my GOD. Anyways, here ya go.**

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies or any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 18: School Trip Part 2**

_French kiss!?, _the two of them thought in horror. They should since they're both inexperienced. Just imagining how it would feel like brings chills down their spines and blushes creep up their cheeks. Jack was holding his breath with a look of _what-in-the-name-of-mother-nature-am-I-going-to-do _while Rapunzel had her mouth open. Both of their faces were beet red that anyone could say they were blushing like hell.

Clarence grinned at the two of them, "Well? We're _all _waiting."

Rapunzel frowned, "I really hate you." She said.

The boy could only laugh, "You might thank me later." He winked. She flinched back, "The hell I would!" she said loudly. He nodded at her, "Oh, but you would!" his grin widened. If only she had the strength to strangle him, she would've done it already. On the other hand, Jack was still absorbed in his panicking mind.

_Shit. What am I going to do!? I don't know how to French kiss! H-how the hell am I going to do that!? Of all the kisses, why does it have to be FRENCH KISS!?, _he yelled in his mind. He was trying to plan out what he was going to do but just thinking of the 'tongue' made him almost lose his sanity. He was knocked off of his mind when Rapunzel tugged on his sleeves. He looked at her.

"L-let's just do it." She said then looked at Clarence, "TWO SECONDS TONGUE BUT THAT'S IT!" she glared at him. Clarence just laughed at her and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I just want to see how you two are going to do it."

With a last angry huff on Clarence, Rapunzel faced Jack and held him by his arms. The two of them gulped. They could hear the beating of their hearts thumping out their ears. It was getting harder to breathe. The blond exhaled and neared her face to his and it happened. Eyes closed, mouths slightly open, tongues _slightly_ colliding. After two seconds, they pulled away. For the watchers, it felt like a snap but for them it felt like a minute. The thought of their tongues sliding together and having that sweet taste made them blush even more. A part of them wanted more but another said it was insane and that they shouldn't do it again unless they were a legitimate couple.

Clarence laughed, "So how'd it feel? Did you guys like it?"

Rapunzel burst out, still blushing madly, "I don't want to answer that!"

Jack was staring blankly at the ground. He was trying to make his brain stop replaying the feeling in his mind. He felt weak. If he tried to walk, his knees would wobble. _That feeling… That sweet taste…! Ugh! Brain stop thinking about it! You're getting perverted!, _he shook his head.

"We're going to sleep!" he heard Rapunzel say. She pulled him to the cabins.

Rapunzel let him go to his cabin and got in after he got in. The rest went back in thirty minutes later. She was the first one to get in but she was the last one to sleep. Before she could even sleep, she had to refresh herself outside. It was dark and the only light source was the moon. She sat on the log nearby and looked at the stars. She preoccupied herself with looking for constellations before the memory of the event earlier that evening would recur to her. She smiled when she saw the constellation Orion. She tried looking for the big dipper next but she couldn't at that view so she stood up and twirled around, looking for at least one hint that it was there. She took a few steps backward to see what was beyond the trees but she bumped on to someone.

"Can't sleep?" Jack asked as he helped her straighten herself.

She made a curt smile and looked up at him, "Feeling kind of restless. You?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, "I don't feel like sleeping."

"Something wrong?"

He shook his head. Of course there's nothing wrong. It was probably the weirdest night of his life but it was also one of the best. "I just feel like returning to being a spirit is all." He smiled gently.

She looked around, "Maybe you could tonight before going back to bed." She grinned.

He made a lopsided smile and immediately, his hair turned white and his eyes faded to blue, "Same thought."

She was a bit surprised at what he did but it made her smile, "I missed that white hair of yours." She chuckled as she ran her hands over his hair.

He placed his hand on hers and smiled genuinely, "Same."

Her hands slid down the side of his face to his cheek, his hand still on hers. She smiled softly, "I'll never forget you." She said lowly. His other hand pulled her closer to him. They stared at each other. A smile formed on his lips. Hearing her say that assured him that everything was _really_ happening. That their feelings weren't lies. Her words were sweet. Her voice is sweet. Everything about her was sweet. He couldn't help but kiss her cheek and place his forehead on hers. Their breaths collided. He could feel her warm breath against his skin. It wasn't cold like his. A chuckle escapes his lips, "I wouldn't mind staying like this forever."

She knew what he meant because she was going to tell him the same thing. She giggled and slid her other hand on his arm to his shoulder, "I wouldn't mind being stuck in a deserted island with you."

Their heartbeats rushed. For Jack, it was his first time to experience that moment. Heck, the first time to be loved the way she loves him. Hearing her say that made his heart leap for joy. This girl in front of him, holding him—she's his. Who cares about a fake relationship? Their feelings for each other were solid. Relationships are just titles. They can remove that, stop that but feelings can't. Like Romeo and Juliet. Their love for each other was solid. It didn't matter if their families were enemies. It didn't matter if they had no relationship to others' eyes because what mattered was what they think, see and feel for each other. _That's them, _Rapunzel thought, _That's Jack and I… That's us, _she smiled and pulled away. To her surprise, he carried her bridal style and jumped up a tree branch.

Her eyes widened, "You could fly? Without your staff?" she looked at him.

He smiled and shrugged, "I could but I'm used to having my staff while flying. It helps me balance." He settled her beside him. They gazed up at the stars.

"Look!" she pointed, "See that? That's the Polaris!" she grinned cheekily. When he didn't speak, she slightly bumped him with her shoulders, "It's the North Star. It belongs to Ursa Minor or Small Dipper. If the Small Dipper is here, it means the Big Dipper is somewhere down there!" she said excitedly and leaned forward.

He grabbed her arm and held her firmly, "You're going to be the death of me woman. Don't do that! You're going to fall." He pulled her back, "Stay put, Nerdy Punzy."

She playfully smacked his thigh, "I told you not to call me that, Frosticles."

Then they started insult/nickname wars.

"Small nose."

"Cold butt."

"Big eyes."

"Pale face."

"Shorty."

"Oh, you did not just say that." Rapunzel eyed him.

"I just did." He grinned mockingly.

"Jackson Overland!" she said loudly, almost like a shout.

He smirked and arched a brow, "Yes, Mrs. Overland?"

She jerked back. _M-mrs. Overland!?_ She didn't speak and just stared at him with a bit of horror. She felt herself blush and heard him laugh, "I could see your blush in the dark." He teased. She frowned and punched his arm and it made him fall down but he was caught by the wind. He hovered in front of her, his chin propped on one hand as if he was leaning on a table, "I was just teasing, Goldilocks." He grinned, "But you know what?" he neared his face to hers. She stared with a slight frown at him. Their noses touched and he pulled away, "You look cute when you blush."

Rapunzel tightened her lips. She could feel her cheeks get warm, "Stop teasing me!" she pouted.

Jack laughed a bit, "I'm not! I'm telling the truth!" he sat back down beside her.

She punched him lightly, "You're not!"

He suppressed his laughter, "I am!" he caught her next punch and smiled at her, "I would never lie to you, Rapunzel." His voice sounded serious but sweet. She stared at him, his words sinking in her brain. He pressed his bag against the trunk and let his right leg dangle down. They continued to stare at each other. She tried to move and prop herself between his legs so she could lean back on him. She didn't know why she was doing it and she didn't know why she was letting herself do it.

Jack moved his left leg to her fix her position. She pressed her back against his body and laid her head back on his shoulder. He slowly laid his head on hers and hugged her around the waist. She felt his heart beat against her back but she didn't want to tell him because he might pull away from her. She hugged his left arm, "I don't feel like sleeping anymore."

"But you should. We have the day ahead of us and we have a lot to do." He looked at her.

She shook her head, "I feel recharged whenever I'm with you." She smiled and brushed her lips against his arm.

He flinched slightly but it wasn't major enough for Rapunzel to think he actually jerked. He smiled and kissed her head and inhaled the scent of her hair, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She stared up at the stars again.

He exhaled through his nostrils, "I'll stay up with you then." He wasn't sleepy in the first place anyway. That entire night, they cuddled up the tree branch. Once, Jack had to fly through the window of his cabin to get a few bags of chips and sweets and two bottles of water and have their 'midnight snack' on the tree branch. Rapunzel let him lay his head on her lap and she'd feed him. They watched the stars set and it was slowly getting brighter out. They heard the door to their cabin open. Rapunzel panicked.

"Jack! Hurry! Change!" she almost pushed him off the surface.

Jack sat up straight, "Let's go down first." He peeked through the leaves and carried her. She got their trash. They descended and settled behind a tree trunk. They heard Jenny calling Rapunzel. Jack immediately transformed and carried the plastic bottles. They stepped out, acting as if they just had a morning stroll.

"I was waiting for the birds to chirp." Rapunzel smiled at him.

"Maybe later. It's only six in the morning. Maybe thirty minutes later." He smiled. They look at Jenny.

"Oh, hey Jenny! Good morning!" Rapunzel greeted her.

Jenny smiled at them, "Good morning. You two are up early."

The blond smiled cheekily, "I wanted to stroll around. So did Jack, so yeah."

Jack grabbed the bag of chips she was carrying, "Let me get that." He said and then threw it in the nearby trash bin.

The others came out of the cabin. Some were still yawning and stretching. Ms. Claire greeted them good morning and they greeted back.

"So who wants breakfast?" she smiled at them.

In the restaurant in Spring Cabin, they ate a bit noisily. They sat in one long row of combined tables. They ate bread, eggs and bacon. Like Clarence and Jack, the others, especially the boys, ordered extra bacon. The men ate like soldiers while the women ate like it was a tea party. Clarence grunted, "Can't you guys eat any faster?" he gave an un-amused look at Jenny, "Man, you're slow." He made another grunt. Jenny shot a glare at him, "You eat like a pig." She said like how a Madame would in the renaissance period. The boy jerked back with a matching gasp, "Y-you're mean!"

Meanwhile, Rapunzel watched Jack eat. It was his third time to order the same set of food within twenty minutes. She chuckled, "You sure are hungry." She grinned. He looked at her with his eyes, "You kept me awake all night long." He smirked.

"I didn't force you. You stayed up on your own."

He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and kissed her cheek, "I know." He smiled at her and continued eating. Thankfully, no one in their group noticed them.

When they were done eating, they prepared themselves to go to the theatre next. They were going to watch Les Miserables with other schools. They didn't bring their sketchpads with them and instead brought cameras with them so they could get pictures with the cast. They weren't allowed to take pictures during the play so they decided to take pictures with the cast instead. When they arrived the venue, there were people coming in with them. They guessed that the people were from other schools. Rapunzel was asked to go with Jenny and Clarence to the ticket booth so Jack was left alone with the others. He was staring at the poster for Les Miserables. He heard the story a few times from North and Bunnymund. He wondered what it would feel like to watch a broadway show. He smiled at the thought of seeing people singing their dialogues instead of just saying it.

"Um, excuse me," someone said from behind him. He turned around and saw two girls looking up at him. They weren't from his school. He arched a brow, "Yeah?" Their cheeks flustered and they looked up at him with amazement, "If you don't mind, can we get your number?"

_Oh no, not this again, _he thought.

He forced a smile and was about to speak but Catherine stepped in, "Who do you think you are?" she asked with her hands on her hips. The two girls looked at her, "We're just asking for his number, bimbo."

Jack was taken back, _Mean girls, _he thought in dismay and walked away without a sound and went to Catherine's side. The girl pointed accusingly at the two girls, "If I see you get near him again, I will stuff a sock down your lungs."

"Who are _you_ to tell us that?" one of the girls glared at her.

Rapunzel came running to them, "I got our seats!" she was smiling but her smile disappeared when she saw Catherine glaring at the two girls, "Cath, what's the matter?"

"These two girls are asking for Jack's number!"

The two girls eyed her, "Are you his sister?" one of them asked.

She flinched, "W-what? No!"

Jack frowned, "Come on, girls. Let's go inside."

Catherine and Rapunzel only nodded and went inside the theatre. They watched the play for what seemed like forever to some but Rapunzel and the others appreciated the magnificence of the work. Some of the girls were either so touched or so amazed by the play that they cried at the end. Rapunzel was one of them. On their way out, she was holding on to Jack's arm because her vision was blurry. He looked at her and gave her his handkerchief, "You're really touched aren't you?"

She sniffed, "The play was so amazing!" she sniffed again.

Clarence tapped them both, "Wanna go to the backstage?"

They nodded and went. They met the cast of the play and took pictures too. Some asked for tips on how to sing like they did and about acting. Rapunzel wandered around the stage and looked at the props. It was all amazing for her. Jack followed her and glanced around. It was indeed impressive. The façade of the buildings, the barricade, the bridge—everything! They were still looking at the props but Ms. Claire called them because they had to go back. Meanwhile in the minibus…

"So who's up for swimming?" Ms. Claire asked.

"Swimming!?" some said in horror, "But it's COLD!"

"It's a hot spring."

"I'm in!" they all raised their hands.

Ms. Claire laughed, "Then off we go!"

Catherine scooted over to Rapunzel, "Thank GOD I brought a swimsuit!" she giggled, "I knew this was going to happen!"

Rapunzel sighed, "Well, we didn't."

Clarence peeked at them, "Well, I got extra swim shorts! Jack, wanna borrow?"

The blond frowned at the two, "Why is it that we don't know about this!?"

Clarence grinned at her, "We didn't too! We just assumed!"

Catherine patted her shoulder, "But that's okay. I got an extra swimsuit!"

"And _I _got an extra swim short!" The boy smiled cheekily.

Jack looked at them with a confused look, _Swimming huh? This will be new._, he thought. Then another thought struck him, _Swimsuit? Then that would mean… _

**_Rapunzel is going to wear something daring._**

His eyes widened, _Should I be happy or not?_

**End of Chapter**

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**Wew! Finally done! I'm sorry again, I won't be uploading anything for the whole month so I'm sorry D: Once I finish my midterm plates, I will update. I PROMISE! Yeah, I hope you like the random stuff I placed in here. To be honest, I forgot my plans for this chapter but here goes nada. I hope you liked it despite the lack of unity and description D: I'M SO SORRY!**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


	19. School Trip Part 3: The Swimming

**I'm FINALLY having the time to update! Gah. I missed this fanfic. By the way, I'll be introducing a new character soon. Check out my profile if you want to know who it is. If you don't want to know who, you can always wait. (I sound mean). Anyways, sorry for the late update. D: REALLY VERY SORRY!**

**Thank you for the reads and reviews! I really appreciate it! Especially those people who also read Our Song. I am forever grateful!**

**By the way, you guys can check my profile for up coming Big Four fan fics. You can put in your review or just message me which of the up coming fics you're interested in reading next! **

**I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies and any of the like mentioned in this fic.**

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**Chapter 19:**

Rapunzel sat on the lower deck of the bunk bed and waited for her friends to come out of the multi-stalled bathroom just behind the cabin. She stared at the two-piece swimsuit lying on the bed beside her. The top was a pink halter neck and the bottoms were like spaghetti strapped panties. She told Catherine she wanted the pink one-piece swimsuit but the girl shook her head and said that to attract her boyfriend more, she must wear something daring that says 'come and get me'. Rapunzel sighed helplessly and held up the top and looked at it in horror, "Do I really have to?" she asked herself.

Catherine's voice rang in the air, "Of course! Don't you want to see Jack's face when you wear that?" she came out with a sheer cloth tied around her waist.

The blond slightly turned her head, "I'm not that kind of… girlfriend you know. I know Jack loves me even when I won't wear something so… daring." She blushed.

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Girl, I'm sure he loves you but you gotta wear something that will make him go red. Don't you want to see him blush red as an apple?"

She was hesitating but she thought that maybe she should wear one just this once. Besides, it's not like she has a few more bathing suit choices. She was only borrowing it. She shouldn't be choosey. After all her mind pushing her to just wear it so everything will be already over, she sighed in defeat and got the bathing suit, "Fine." She said with a small frown, "It's not like I have more choices anyway." She went to the bathroom. All the while she was changing, she was muttering words of pity to herself. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her waist, wore her t-shirt and went out. It was the least she could do to cover herself up.

Catherine looked at her, "Girl, what's with the shirt?"

"At least let me wear it while we're not there." Rapunzel sat down on Jenny's bed. The girl was tying her hair back to a ponytail. She looked at their reflection on the mirror, "Rapunzel, do you want me to braid your hair?" she smiled.

The blond smiled at the girl's reflection, "Yeah!" she looked at Catherine, "I'll do yours."

The three of them settled themselves. Catherine sat on the floor; Rapunzel sat on the edge of the bed while Jenny kneeled behind her. Rapunzel braided Cat's hair before tying it into a bun while Jenny expertly made smaller braids before joining them together to make a larger braid. When they finished, they decided to meet with the others outside.

Meanwhile, in the boys' cabin…

"Man you will totally look great in this!" Clarence pushed Jack to the bathroom.

"Hold on, hold on! I didn't even get my shirt yet!" Jack tried to push himself back but the guy was just really strong.

Clarence grinned at him, "That's the thing! You _won't _wear a shirt when we get outside!"

He looked horrified. Him? Shirtless? Outside? With a lot of people?_ Oh god, no, _he thought. He faced the black haired boy, "But it's freezing outside!"

"No it's not. There are a lot of hot babes!" Clarence laughed.

He exhaled sharply. "At least let me get my towel first." He said with an almost blank expression. The boy let him then accompanied him to the multi-stalled bathroom. They talked about seeing the others. Seeing their girls.

"Are you excited to see her?" Clarence was leaning back with arms crossed on the wall.

Jack's voice slightly echoed, "What?"

"You _know _who I'm talking about, Jackson… _Rapunzel!_"

The winter spirit was silent for a short moment before answering, "A little bit…" he almost murmured. He turned the topic to him, "What about you? Are you excited to see Jenny?"

Clarence chuckled, "Even though I've seen her wear a swimsuit a number of times, yes. I still do."

"A number of times?"

"Yeah. She competes for the University's swim team."

Jack finally came out of the stall. He had his towel wrapped over his shoulders. Clarence nodded to the door, "Let's go."

They headed outside and when they came out, everyone was already out. They figured they were still waiting for them. As soon as Miss Claire saw them, she called everyone's attention. "Alright guys! This is a hot spring resort, not an ordinary pool resort. Regular rules apply. Diving and jumping are possible as long as you don't disturb the other customers. And enjoy taking pictures. We'll need it later. Take a lot. Is that clear?" The group nodded, "Yes miss!" then they walked towards the area where the hot spring pools were. Clarence and Jack were at the back of the group. They were still trying to spot their friends although; they couldn't find them until they got to the venue. Some of them settled in the small huts, some headed for the pool while some headed for the sun bathing area. Rapunzel, Jenny and Catherine were still settling their towels on one side of the benches when the two boys spotted them.

"Hey!" Clarence called as he ran towards them. Jack just followed. He was looking at the three girls one by one. He noticed Rapunzel first, who was still wearing her shirt and towel; then Catherine, who was wearing a maroon two-piece swimsuit with a sheer cloth tied around her waist then Jenny, who was wearing a green sporty-looking two-piece swimsuit.

He smiled and his gaze returned to Rapunzel again. He went to a complete stop when he saw her remove the towel that was covering her hips to her knees and hanged it on the bench with her smaller towel. His mouth opened a bit. Her long hair was only braided half way down and it made him stare at it for some unknown reason. His eyes traveled from the tip of her hair up and he saw her taking off her shirt, which made him blush deep red and stop breathing. He felt a chill down his spine and Goosebumps all over his body. Admittedly, he never thought Rapunzel could actually be _that _sexy.

Jack was still gaping at her from head to toe when the blond saw him. She saw that he was clutching together the two corners of his towel so it wouldn't fall of from his shoulders. Her brows slightly furrowed when she noticed that he was staring at her as if there was something wrong with her. She tilted her head a bit and called him, "Jack? Are you okay?"

Hearing her voice, he snapped back to reality and inhaled, making up for the time he wasn't breathing, "Huh? O-oh. Hey!" he forced a curt smile. The corner of his lips twitched. He walked towards the group and swallowed when his vision passed by Rapunzel's figure.

Clarence looked at all of them, "Let's go swim!"

Jenny smirked; "I'll beat you to the pool!" she said and ran. The boy followed her, "H-hey! Wait for me!"

Catherine giggled and happily ran after them, "Wait for me too!"

Rapunzel laughed, "Hey! No fair!" she giggled as she ran. Jack also laughed as he threw his towel on the bench and ran after them too.

Just as Jenny was about to go for a dive, Clarence suddenly swept her off her feet and jumped in. She screamed until they were under the warm water. Catherine gave out a squeal as she jumped in happily, landing beside the couple. Not too long, Rapunzel and Jack also jumped in. Jenny pushed herself up the surface and almost slapped Clarence, "Moron! You scared me!" The boy just laughed heartily as a reply. The others floated up to the surface.

One of their club mates called them, "Hey! You guys want to have a pool volleyball?"

Catherine replied, "I do!" she said happily and swam her way to them.

Clarence smiled at Jenny, "How about it Miss Grouchy?"

The girl glared at him, "Stop calling me names, butthead." She said and followed Catherine. Clarence could only chuckle before turning to face Jack and Rapunzel, "What about you guys?" he smiled at them.

Rapunzel smiled back, "You guys go ahead." She looked at Jack, "What about you?"

He shook his head, "Nah. I don't really play pool volleyballs."

_Like I ever played one, _he thought with sarcasm.

The black haired boy just nodded at them and went to the others. Rapunzel pulled her way up to sit on the edge of the pool. Jack did the same. They looked around. The area wasn't too crowded but there were many people, especially foreigners. Rapunzel played by swaying her feet in the water. Jack inclined himself back and watched their friends play pool volleyball. It was quiet between them but there was no sense of awkwardness. The blond chuckled at the sight of their friends having epic fail moments while playing, "Have you ever played sports with your friends?" she asked him, still looking at their friends' direction.

Jack made a one-sided smile, "If you consider snowball fights as sports, yes. Other than that, I haven't."

Rapunzel grinned, "You should try basketball someday! Or volleyball! Or maybe baseball." She glanced at him.

He chuckled, "Maybe I will."

"And maybe the other guardians could join too!" She giggled.

The thought of the guardians playing such sports made Jack laugh and cause his stomach to hurt. He couldn't really imagine the faces they'd make or even the questions they'd ask. 'How do you do this?' 'Am I doing it right?' 'What am I going to do?' He laughed at the thought of the questions. Rapunzel laughed with him because of him, "What? Did I say something wrong?" He shook his head, "No! Nothing at all! You actually made me think." He tried suppressing his laughter, "Come to think of it, the others haven't really spent time with the kids as much as I did so, they don't really know much about sports. I think they have never played a sport before."

Rapunzel blinked, "If that's the case then maybe we could go play volleyball some time?" She smiled sweetly.

He smiled a bit, "I'd like that."

She grinned and bent up her right leg, "Wanna go for a swim?"

"But I don't even know how."

She laughed, "It's not a competition. Just a 'casual' swim."

He shrugged, "Well, okay. As long as it's not a competition." He laughed.

She eyed him teasingly, "Is Jack Frost actually scared of losing?"

Jack slightly frowned at her, "I'm not. I just don't like a competition right now."

She arched a brow, "Why? Because you might lose to a girl?"

He smirked, "No. I'd take you on."

Rapunzel's eyes sparkled, "Oh really?" she snickered and splashed water on his face.

Jack jerks back and slightly glares at her, "Hey!" but before he could even have his payback, the blond already threw herself in the pool and swam away. He immediately thought of a plan to catch up to her. He stood and ran by the edge of the pool and as soon as he was just beside her, he went in for a dive. Rapunzel was startled and practically screamed underwater. Her heartbeat paced faster with the thought of the guy going for revenge. She tried to swim back, reverse and go the other way but the water was slowing her down. For a moment, she was cursing how the water was holding her back and slowing her down when suddenly, a wild Jack Frost appeared. Rapunzel turned her head. She had a horrified yet thrilled expression on her face. She went up to the surface and screamed happily. She did her best to get away from the boy, trying to escape his revenge. But the odds weren't really on her side. Jack grabbed her arm, pulling her underwater. Again, she screamed. She pulled and pulled away from him but his grip was just so strong and the laughter building up in her made her weak. She tried pulling his hand off of her wrist but still no luck. She burst out laughing, "No! Let me go!" she said in-between laughs.

Jack's hand slipped from her wrist but quickly grabbed it with his other hand, "No. I must have my payback first." He smirked evilly.

Her eyes widened and she let out a small yelp before laughing. She pulled away from him, "No, no, no!" and when she was free she tried half swimming-half walking away from him. She was almost three feet away from him but the boy was reaching out to grab her. As minutes passed, she felt weaker because she couldn't stop laughing. Once or twice, the white haired boy almost caught her arm but she expertly swung her arm away from his reach. But as she was making her 'run', she felt something underneath her so she stopped and took a look at the blurry, watery image. To her horror and surprise, Jack lifted himself to the surface, making her sit with her thighs flung over his shoulders. It successfully made her yelp and hug is head, which made him _almost_ lose his balance.

Rapunzel shrieked when she felt the cold air touch her skin, "Jack! Put me down!" she held onto his forehead.

His back was bending because of the weight Rapunzel was giving, "Hey! Your hand!" he quickly held her wrists to pull her hands off of his forehead. The blond squeaked. For a moment she felt she was going to fall back when he held her wrists. Instinctively, she held on his wrists. For what seemed like hours, they were in that position. Without a word, Jack began to walk down to their friends who were still playing pool volleyball.

Clarence glanced at them, "What are you guys doing?" he smiled but it was broken when the ball hit his face.

"Keep your head in the game, man!" one of their club mates shouted at him.

He frowned, "Yeah, yeah. Time out." He rolled his eyes and scanned the two. He smirked, "Hey Jenny, do you think we could pull this off too?" he nodded at them as he glanced at Jenny.

The girl thought for a while and smiled, "Of course we could!"

Rapunzel had a look of disbelief, "W-what? Oh no. I know what you guys are thinking!"

Jenny had already sat on Clarence's shoulders and looked ready for a fight. Clarence grinned, "POOL WRESTLING!"

The blond had no choice but to fight Jenny. Their hands clasped together and they did their best to make the other fall while the two boys were trying to keep their balance. Jack was unaware of the game and the fact that Jenny was almost making Rapunzel fall to the water surprised him. He hesitated at first but held on to the blond's knees to keep her from falling.

"You can do it, Goldilocks!" he said as he struggled to keep their balance.

Rapunzel squeaked, "But I can't!"

"You can! Show your inner Hulk woman!"

The blond didn't know how. She was still trying to figure out how to win. There was no way she was stronger than Jenny. The woman's an athlete! The closest she could do to winning was to have a tie. She tried giving off the same strength as the girl. It made them wobble and almost lose balance. It was a very close fight but someone had to win. _Almost…_

"Ha!" Jenny grinned triumphantly as Rapunzel fell off.

Although for the blond, everything seemed to be in slow motion. Everything was slow except her mind. Without second thoughts, she grabbed for Jenny's hand and pulled the girl with her. The two boys that carried them completely lost balance and fell with them. They struggled to the surface and as soon as the air passed into their lungs, they looked at each other. Clarence was the first to speak.

"That wasn't fair, Punz!" he pouted a bit.

Rapunzel couldn't help but smile cheekily, "No one said I couldn't drag my opponent with me."

"Still!"

"Oh, hush." Jenny chuckled, "At least she didn't kick me."

Then suddenly, a flash caught their eye. They turned to look at what it was. It turns out that it was Catherine holding her cellphone. She had a wide grin plastered on her face. She giggled, "I am _so _uploading these."

Jenny narrowed her eyes at the girl, "_These _as in _many _pictures?" Catherine slightly squealed and nodded.

"When have you been taking pictures?" Rapunzel eyed the girl.

"Since the start of the struggle. Come on, guys! Don't mind me! Continue!" Catherine's voice sounded sweet and bubbly.

"Oh no you're not going to take _more _stolen pictures!" Jenny pulled herself up on the edge of the pool. As soon as Catherine realized what she was doing, she made a run for it. As she ran, she half screamed and half laughed. Rapunzel thought it was fun so she pulled herself on the edge of the pool and ran after her too. The two boys were left staring at the girls. Jack didn't care much about stolen pictures while Clarence thought it was okay. Since they seem to have a silent agreement not to chase them, they chilled in one corner and talked about a few boy things as they mindlessly watched the girls run around the area. After several minutes, one of their club mates called them to eat. The two boys nodded at each other and motioned for the edge of the pool but when Jack was going to pull himself up, he felt a striking pain on his head. His arms felt weak and he settled back to the water. Clarence realized this and looked at him with a worried expression, "Dude, are you okay?"

Traces of the pain were still there but he managed to crack a smile at the guy, "Yeah. Just suddenly felt dizzy." He said and nodded at the stairs, "I'll just go there." he started to walk for the stairs.

On his way, he thought of why he suddenly felt pain _in _his head. _It might be the water, _he convinced himself. He went up the stairs and headed to the benches their club occupied. Apparently, Ms. Claire bought newly grilled barbecues for them to eat. Everyone enjoyed eating. He and Clarence were munched down five sticks of barbecue within the span of two minutes. Jenny commented on how ridiculous their appetite was and that they should leave some for everyone else. Ms. Claire heard her and chuckled before telling her that it was fine and that there was more. Clarence being himself grinned and looked at his girlfriend in a triumphant way. Jenny, being slightly hotheaded, she stomped on the boy's foot but accidentally only hitting his pinky.

"Ow! Jenny—!" Clarence scowled, "Of all the places on my foot, _why my pinky!?_"

"Well, if you didn't pull of that smug look on your face, I wouldn't have stepped on it." She said. Irrational but still a reason for the trigger.

Then, they started arguing. For everyone old in the club, it was normal to see them argue over such a small thing. For Jack it seemed somewhat pointless. Rapunzel noticed the confused expression he was having so she nudged on his arm. He looked at her. She didn't look at him; "They're always like that. You'll get used to it." She smiled at the couple.

_Flash!_

The two of them glanced to their right and saw Catherine holding her phone again.

"Catherine! Stop taking stolen pictures!" Rapunzel slightly frowned.

"But I can't help it! You two just look so adorable!" Catherine squealed and turned for the arguing couple's direction and took a picture of them. The couple didn't seem to notice since they continued to argue.

As soon as everyone was done eating, they went back to what they were doing. They had two more hours of swimming and fun before returning. Inside those two hours, Jack was 'finally' noticed by some of the women and they couldn't help but stare, gawk and even purposely bump on to him. It annoyed him but he tried to keep his cool and just ignored them. But there were these girls who wouldn't call quits so they attempted to have a conversation with him while he was just sitting on a bench, watching the others do jump shots. Every time he made an attempt to get away, they always managed to get him to sit down… _until he saw a guy approach Rapunzel. _

That completely made him ignore everything else.

It was either protectiveness or jealousy making him do all the glaring, fast-paced walking and the added handsomeness to his features. Whatever it was, it made the other girls stare at him when he passed by them. His club mates easily could notice the cold glare he was shooting at the back of the guy. As he approached Rapunzel and the unknown guy though, his cold glare turned into an unnoticeable fake smile.

"Hey, Goldilocks! Another jump shot!" his fake smile turned into a grin, which made him even more dashing. The girls who saw this transition made a dreamy sigh but it intimidated the guy who was talking to Rapunzel.

The blond, while clueless to what the white haired boy was doing, just smiled and nodded at him. She excused herself to the stranger and went to Jack. She looked at Catherine who was holding up her camera, "Ready?" The two nodded. They counted in unison and when 'three' came, Jack and Rapunzel jumped with almost held hands. Splash! They landed. Catherine grinned at them for doing a great job and turned to the others to capture their jump shots. Jack raked his hair back and had a smirk plastered on his face. Rapunzel looked at him and noticed the confident smirk he had. She smiled.

"What's with the face?" she chuckled.

His smirk grew even more confident and triumphant, "Nothing." He said and shook his head to whip his hair back to its usual look. A few girls squealed. He ignored them.

She stared at him, blinked twice and made curt smile before talking; "You were jealous weren't you?"

Please, if there were anything she didn't know, it wouldn't be about jealous boyfriends.

Jack inhaled abruptly and flinched. His smirk faltered a bit but he regained his composure, "W-what? What are you talking about?" he didn't look at her. His face was slowly turning red.

She chuckled, "You _know _well what _I'm _talking about, Jack."

He didn't reply. He didn't know how to. He wasn't sure what to say either.

A few moments of silence and Rapunzel gave out slightly laughing, "Oh, Jack. Don't worry about it. I was just teasing."

His face was still red when he looked at her with his eyes. He still didn't speak. The blond gave him a firm and assuring pat on the back, "And besides, you're my only man." She flashed a grin at him before going over to their friends. She left him staring at her.

He swallowed and exhaled as he stared at her figure. He gave another thought as to how he had come to love that girl and when it even started. He couldn't remember. He didn't know how, when and why but he just does. For that moment, as he stared at the blond girl, he learned that he won't be able to contain his sanity if he loses her.

**End of Chapter**

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**OH MY GOODNESS! Finally! Another chapter done! Oh thank HEAVENS! Been almost a month since I last updated! I hope you liked this chapter. Despite the lack of inspiration, I managed to finish this but I'm so sorry if it's so boring and slow and all that stuff. I wish I could return to the normal scheduling of my updates (HA! Like that'll happen soon!)… Uh, yeah. My back-to-normal-scheduling of updates might be in December during Christmas Break since I have a LOT of stuff to do this November. But I'll do my best to update from time to time. Next update will be with Our Song. Hang on to your seats! Thank you for reading!**

**Don't forget, you can see the up coming fics I plan to release. You can post in your review or message me the next fan fic you're most interested to see!**

**Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!**


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